The Legend of Zelda: savior of the dark
by kingofgoblins
Summary: Ganon has stolen Zelda's triforce and captured the capital city of Hyrule. As he sends his raiders across the land to attain domination Link must prove himself and travel to a darkened world in a bid to save his land. His quest brings him into contact with his dark family line the gorons a mysterious wizard and a skilled ranger. Can he save Hyrule, and bring peace to the world s ?
1. Chapter 1

Link was lying in bed, staring up at the ceiling. He was thinking.

"what is my purpose" he thought to himself. "Why am I here?"

From a young age he had been told he was special, and he would be vital to the world, but here he was, seventeen years of age, and nothing extraordinary had happened to him. Farm work everyday, education, typical stuff. The only thing that made him different was the pyrimidine emblem on the back of his hand.

Other then that, he lived with his uncle on a ranch, and tended to the animals most of the day. His uncle always told him his father had been important, but would never tell Link why. When he wasn't working or studying, he would sometimes go into town, to see what all was going on there. Once he had witnessed a great parade through the town square. The king of Hyrule, and his daughter zelda had been seated in royal thrones, pulled by oxen.

Link saw Zelda, and a sheer wave of deja vu had struck him. He rushed through the crowds, hoping to attract the attention of the princess. He shouted and waved towards her, but failed in his efforts. As such, he tried to bull rush towards Zelda. He got within a few feet, but then the guards beat him back, and threw him from the town. This event had inspired even more questions in Link, as before he had been hauled away, he had seen a pyrimidine emblem on the back of her hand.

Link finally fell into sleep.

He was standing in a large area, and was wearing boots, a blue tunic, along with a blue hat. He carried a sword in his left hand, and a shield in his right. Water covered the ground of this place, which seemed to stretch onward forever. Thick mist hung about, chilling the air. The only features were the door directly behind him, a door that stood about twenty yards away, and a single tree that grew in the center. For an unknown reason, this tree caused Link to become wary. Link's fist tightened around his sword as he walked towards the tree. He came around it, and looked at the side of the tree that had previously been unseeable.

He saw nothing.

Link blew a sigh of relief, and laughed at his unnecessary tension. He continued his walk towards the door, however, when he reached it, he found it was blocked by thick bars of metal that refused to budge. Thinking he may find something in this vast expanse, he turned around.

He saw the tree once more, only now, there was a shadowy figure leaning against it. He walked closer, and saw that the shade was slightly transparent. It's form resembled link, and it possessed glowing red eyes. It walked towards him casually, and Link threw a sword slash. The monster copied the move, and their blades clashed in a shower of sparks. He tried to stab at it, and the shade jumped upwards, onto Link's blade. It then back flipped off of the steel. Suddenly he felt reflex take over, as if some part of him knew what to do. He rolled backward, narrowly avoiding the monsters sword swing. He lunged at the shadow, sword outstretched. The monster leaped backwards, link followed by thrusting his sword into the jaw of the creature. It fell back several feet before falling into the water that covered the ground. With the battle done, Link relaxed slightly. Then his eyes widened, and he sensed something off. He spun around with the grace of a dancer, with his sword held firmly. He successfully cut the enemy across it's dark face.

And then he awoke, heart beating heavily. He looked down at his hand, and saw that his emblem was glowing slightly. Link heard a knocking at the door, and stumbled towards it. He opened the door, and saw his uncle, bloody and bruised.

"What happened!" Link exclaimed.

"...W, Warriors..." Uncle replied weakly.

"From where?" Link asked, concerned

"They were...from the desert. Damned leader called 'imself Ganondorf."

The name struck Link like a hammer to the head. He fainted.

He was a young boy, maybe 10 years old, outside of a great wall, and a drawbridge was coming down. It was dark out, and thundering. Suddenly, a white horse raced from behind the wall.

On the horse were 2 women, one about Link's age. This one turned, and noticed Link standing there. She threw something, and it landed in the moat behind him. He turned, and saw a large man, on a black horse, right behind him. This man's skin was green, and his hair was red. He was dressed in black leather, and looked incredibly powerful.

"arg! I lost her!" he yelled. His voice was deep, and hard, just that voice was a little frightening. Link could tell this man was Ganondorf. He hadn't yet seemed to notice Link, perhaps he could turn away, and walk away without being noticed.

The man turned towards Link.

"you there! Little kid! You must have seen that white horse gallop past! Which way did it go! Answer me!" he yelled. Link took a few steps back, he couldn't sell them out. If this man was looking for them, it didn't bode well.

"so, you think you can protect them from me...you've got guts, kid." he said, to receive a compliment from him made Link feel dirty. Link took out his shield and sword.

"heh heh heh, you want a piece of me? Very funny. I like your style" he said, rather amused.

Ganondorf raised his right hand and it appeared as though all the light around his hand was sucked into the palm of his hand. The glowing energy of the light hummed with power. Ganondorf then tossed this energy at Link.

Link woke up again, and found his uncle had passed out on top of him. He lifted his uncle, and placed him on the bed. He ran out to get some people from town, to help his uncle. He got the town doctor, Orion, and brought him back to their house. Orion set his bag down upon the table, and told Link to leave the room.

About 2 hours later Orion called Link in, and told him that his uncle had passed. Link kneeled down against his uncle's corpse as Orion left.

"uncle...I swear, I will get revenge on the man that did this to you."

For seven days Link mourned, as was the custom of the town. after the burial he returned home and slept. No dreams haunted his sleep this night. When he awoke, he let himself rest a short moment, knowing he may never get the chance again.

Finally, Link got out of bed and stretched. After getting dressed, he entered his Uncle's study.

The room was small, and had wood flooring, as opposed to the dirt flooring that was in the rest of the house. There was a simple wooden desk near the far wall of the room. And mounted above the desk, on the wall behind it, was what Link had come for. A sword, roughly 3 feet long, and a shield, displaying the crest of Hyrule. Link's uncle had always gloated about that sword. He said it was the sword Link's father had used.

Link took it down, and swung it around a couple times. It felt oddly familiar to him. He had never touched a sword in his life, yet, it felt as though his arm was whole., well, his left arm anyway. He took the shield down, and put that on his right arm. And he felt right. He tied the swords scabbard so that the sword would fit diagonally down his back. And the shield would fit over it.

It was still early in the morning, so nobody was up to ask questions about why he was leaving, with weaponry. He moved quickly, and quietly. His mind was solely on the man from his dream.

"Ganondorf..." Link muttered to himself.

Link believed the first place he should go was Hyrule castle. Perhaps Princess Zelda knew something about this. He had heard rumors of Hyrule castle, and it's surrounding castle town. From what he had heard, it was a bright, and happy place.

He wondered how to get into the castle to tell the princess what he knew. There must be guards, how many? He'd have to sneak past them somehow.

After hours of wondering and wandering he saw a magnificent castle on the horizon. It rose out of the ground, reaching unimaginable heights. It was surrounded by a town, which, in turn, was surrounded by a moat...Link knew this was the castle from his dream earlier. He wondered if whatever the princess had thrown in the moat was still there. He ran towards the castle, excited to see what lay behind it's walls.

He reached the moat, and looked down into it's waters. The water was clean and clear; nothing populated it's waters. Though semi-disappointed, he crossed the drawbridge into castle town.


	2. Chapter 2

Link was shocked at the sheer amount of stuff going on in the square. There were jugglers, people laughing, some man was chasing a chicken, an old woman was screaming at an old man. And that was just skimming the surface. He wandered around the town, and saw a vast array of shops. He wished to stay and explore, but he had to get to Zelda. He ran towards the castle, bumping some people along the way.

He came to a clearing, where no other people were, and saw that the castle was just beyond. He tried to continue along the path, but saw two guards heading his way. He quickly ducked behind a bush.

"How can I get past?" he thought to himself. He leaned back, against the wall of rock. He raised his head to the sky. And he noticed that there were vines leading all the way to the top.

"Perhaps..." he said. He turned, making sure all guards were out of sight. He climbed up the vines. He pulled himself up on the rocks, and saw that the ground was pretty level. It was almost as if somebody had planned it. He walked over to the guards outpost, and used the roof to cross to the other side of the clearing. He ran across the field, staying out of the vision of the guards. Once, Link thought a guard had spotted him, and had started running towards him. Link had jumped behind another convenient bush, and the guard ran right past. Link found another place where he could climb, and found himself next to a moat, which surrounded a castle. He jumped into the moat, and found a secret entrance under the water.

He followed it, and when he came up, he found himself in a small pool of water, and he was in a small area, where their was grass, and flowers. He saw a young women, sitting, facing away from him. Was this the princess?

Link got out of the pool, and walked towards her. She had long brown hair, that shined when the light hit it. She was wearing a dress that was white and purple, She sat, book in one hand, her head perched delicately on the other. He wondered how he would manage to start this conversation. He glanced down, and saw that on her hand, there was an emblem. With 3 triangles, arranged in a pyramidal structure. As he drew closer, it grew brighter.

"Princess" Link said timidly. She jumped, and whipped around. She threw 3 daggers at him, and he dove out of the way just in time. She threw the book from her hand, and raised it towards the sky. Bolts of electricity soon began to shoot from her hand as an orb of lightning formed.

"Wait! Princess! I don't want to hurt you!" Link shouted as she threw the orb at him. He brought up his hand, and the orb seemed to absorb into it. Zelda gasped.

"You must be..." she said, her voice alive with excitement. Link couldn't help but notice that her voice was beautiful, it sounded intelligent, and like it laughed a lot. It was one of the most beautiful sounds he could think of.

"My name is Link. I need information." He said, praying she wouldn't try to kill him again.

"Link...you seem familiar. Raise your hand towards me." she commanded.

Link raised his hand, and Zelda saw the emblem on the back of his hand. She gasped.

"You...are the one!" she exclaimed. She raised her hand, and held his in it. Their hands glowed, and Link felt her soft hands. He found himself liking her more and more. "Link, why are you here?"

And so Link told the princess the story.

"So...you say, that your uncle was killed by Ganondorf?" she asked.

"Not exactly, but he died because of Ganondorf." Link responded. "My uncle said warriors attacked him, and Ganondorf was there, and he called himself their leader."

"Yes..." Zelda said, she sounded like she was thinking very hard. She had one hand up, and was playing with her hair. "that would be his Gerudos, they are a band of thieves that generally inhabit the desert. They have been giving us much problem the past few years."

"where is their base camp?" Link asked.

"Link, I need to tell you something." Zelda murmured, she was biting her lower lip.

"What is it Princess?" Link asked again.

"Well, You aren't the first Link, and I'm not the first Zelda. Well, let me tell you the history behind the emblem on your hand. Essentially, the three goddesses, crafted the earth, and made a magical object called the triforce, which holds the powers of the goddesses. The triforce is made up of three virtues: Power, Wisdom, and Courage. And when someone finds gets all parts of the triforce, by being equally balanced with all three virtues. Throughout Hyrule's history, these virtues have been evident in certain individuals. Ganondorf Dragmire was a king of thieves, who sought a grand amount of power. He eventually obtained the triforce of power. However, he wasn't equally balanced, and so he didn't receive his wish. Ganondorf was insanely angry at that. Soon enough, A man named Link, and a princess named Zelda, emerged, with the triforce symbols evident on them. They have been locked in battle ever since. Ganondorf goes away sometimes, sealed into a dark realm, or a holy realm, it never works. He always escapes. And when he does, it's never good. And that is usually when the new Zelda and Link show up. You have the courage, and I have the wisdom." She ended.

Link didn't know how to respond. He was important, but important because he was part of a seemingly never ending chain. He was a warrior who was supposed to beat someone who had supernatural help. And courage? "What was that about? Zelda gets wisdom, that's great, helps her interpret things, analyze. Ganondorf get's Power. Fantastic, he can decimate his foes in a few blows. I get courage, I can...not wet myself when I see a big monster." Link thought to himself.

"Link? What do you think?" Zelda asked.

"I...I just can't believe it." he responded, a little shaken.

"I know it's a lot to take in, but it's all true" she told him.

"Then...what am I supposed to do?" Link asked.

"You must defeat Ganonforf." She asnwered

"You speak of such a task as though it were easy, Princess!" a voice said, dark and threatening. This voice seemed to cast a shadow on the whole garden they were in.

suddenly a figure, cloaked in shadows, landed in the garden. It was as if the shadows bent to cover him, and then they ceased to be. A man stood there. He stood taller then Link, with broad shoulders. A green skin tone hued his skin, and he was dressed in black leather.

"Ganondorf, why have you come?" Zelda asked, attempting to remain calm.

"I am here to obtain my power, Princess. To rip the pieces of triforce from children who do not understand the potential." He answered coldly.

And with that he leaped across the garden, grabbed Zelda, and ran from the garden. Link sprinted after him, sword and shield in hand, but Ganondorf was too fast. Suddenly, from behind him he heard:

"Hero! If you truly desire to save this woman, then meet me at death mountain!" Ganondorf yelled. He then disappeared, leaving only a wall of black smoke.

Link knew that Ganondorf wouldn't let Zelda live very long. He ran to Death mountain.

as Link neared the towering foundation of death mountain he couldn't help but be intimidated by it's height. A grand mass of red earth rising onwards into the heavens. There was a rugged hole in the mountains base, just large enough for Link to walk through. He entered the mountain, and gazed around him. There were Keese flying around the upper area of the room, and a sea of lava, fed by a torrent of lava falling into it. Next to this lavafall, there was a ladder. Link ran to it, climbing as fast as he could. He looked upward, and saw that the ledge he was on spiraled up and up, until Link couldn't see any further.

He ran up the ledge, and after about 15 minutes of climbing, he came to a large reptile which had it's back turned to him. It's skin was dull green and scaly, from head to tail. Link stalked towards it slowly. He pulled out his sword and attempted to stab it in the back. The beast turned around and swiped Links sword out of his hand with it's long claws. It took a step towards him, showing off it's long and sharp fangs. It took another swipe towards him and Link did an elegant back flip, and leaped forward, pushing the monster off the ledge. He ran towards his sword, and picked it back up. He turned around, and saw that the beast had somehow climbed back up.

Link raised his sword. The monster lunged at him, and link rolled to the left. The monstrous lizard bit down on where link had been less then a second earlier. Link slashed his sword at the beast's leg, and lopped it off in a spray of blood. He followed that slash by standing up and bashing it's head with the hilt of his sword. The monster fell down, it's life ended. Link turned back to the task at hand, and ran up the spiraling ledge.

5 minutes later he came to a large door, with the triforce symbol on it. A familiar melody played in his head while he rose his hand, touching it to the cool stone of the door. The door reacted to his triforce, and opened.

Link walked into the room, sword and shield in hand. The room he was in had plush, luxurious carpeting. The walls seemed to be depictions of Ganondorf's previous defeats. Hero's outfitted in green, swords outstretched, towering over Ganondorf's defeated frame. There was a solitary set of stairs protruding into the room, begging to be climbed. Link could hear a distant scream.

Zelda.

He ran up the stairs, three at a time. He reached the top, and looked around furiously. He was in a long hallway, with stained glass windows all along it either side. They appeared to be telling the story of the triforce. At the end of this hall stood Ganondorf. The princess lay on the ground next to him, unconscious.

"Damn you!" Link exploded.

"Foolish child. Do you pose no threat to me anymore. The princess's triforce is mine. None in all the land can challenge my power. Come to me, offer me the triforce. I can use it's fullest potential!" Ganondorf shouted.

Link ran towards Ganondorf, sword upraised. Ganondorf drew his own sword, a long piece of darkness. It didn't seem to have a definitive shape, as if it were crafted of ever moving shadows. Link slashed at Ganondorf who slashed at Link. A shower of sparks and shadows flew. Link was forced back. Ganondorf raised his hand, and punched Link, the punch was so fast that Link couldn't dodge it. He went flying backwards, and almost lost the grip on his sword. Link stood up, and wondered what he could possibly do to stop him.

Ganondorf walked towards him, sword in hand, with an air of victory.

"This is my power, hero! You now know me to be unstoppable. Surrender to me, and I shall only put you through one death." Ganondorf raised his sword and slashed downward at Link. Link rolled out of the way, and ran towards Zelda, Ganondorf following Link grabbed the princess from the ground, and kept running forward, and leaped out of the window.

There was and explosion of noise and glass. Link fell, with Zelda in his grasp, seemingly forever.

"goddesses, grant me wings" he prayed. They neared the ground, and suddenly Link felt something in his back. Wings of bluish white energy sprouted from his shoulder blades. He urged them to take him and the princess far away, to a place where they would be safe from Ganondorf.


	3. Chapter 3

Hours later, Link awoke on a rocky cliff, surrounded on all sides by ocean. Zelda lay at his side, still unconscious. He took several minutes to admire her beauty before shifting to stand.

Zelda's brow furrowed as Link moved away from her, and she groaned. Her eyes fluttered open and she looked around in shock. She gazed at Link, as though she was trying to remember where she knew him from. Her face soon shouted with realization, as the events of the previous hours slammed home. She glanced down at her hand, her jaw dropped, and she ripped the glove from her hand.

The once bright triforce of Wisdom on her hand has sunken to an ash color.

"...no..." The princess whispered. She clenched her fist. She snapped her head up to glare at Link. "Link, we can not allow Ganondorf to win. We need to fight back against him!"

"Princess...I completely agree with you. But, I think I should mention we are stranded on a rock in the middle of nowhere."

Zelda grinned up at him deceptively before standing up. She reached into the folds of her dress, and produced a harp.

"Not quite." Said Zelda. She began to strum the strings of the harp, creating a low melody. The melody increased in speed as Zelda's fingers began to fly gracefully across the harp, and it seemed as though the Earth and the heavens had begun to dance with each other.

That's when Link realized they were floating.

While he had become en rapt in the beauty of Zelda's song, he had somehow not realized that they two of them were rising into the air, accompanied by two angelic wings. Then the wings engulfed the two of them, and they were gone.

As the motion of the wings stopped, he found himself in a building with large windows of colored glass. He recognized this as a sort of sanctuary.

"Zelda...where are we?" Link asked.

"A place from our past Link...It has served us well before, and now we must determine what we must do about Ganondorf. As of now you can't stand against him, he is too powerful. But there was a story passed through my family, which I shall tell you now."

Zelda closed to her eyes and began to speak, "When the tides of fate swing against the hope of heroes and princesses, there is only the Goddesses. Three bountiful deities who may shape or destroy the world. Yet there is darkness in Gods...For the warming love of Din, there is cold heart of Majora. For the calming essence of Nayru, there is the dark influence of Vaati...For the powerful resolve of farore, there is the evil ambitions of Zant. They hero must find the Goddesses, and reclaim an ancient treasure...thus the tides of fate shall reform"

Link sat in awed silence. "How do I find the Goddesses though?" He asked Zelda.

"The most obvious place to check would be their respective temples throughout hyrule. The nearest one is the Tower of Din, east of here." Zelda said.

It had been two days since Zelda had told Link to visit the Tower of Din. He could just see the pinprick of the tower in the horizon. Yet, something seemed off about it. The air seemed charged somehow, as though a storm was about to rip the world apart. As Link grew nearer to the tower, the feeling intensified. It was clear that nothing good could be happening.

"Hello there!" A voice shouted, startling Link out of his reverie. Link looked up, and saw a tall man with short black hair standing in front of him. The man had at least a foot on Link, and was incredibly muscled.

"Where are you headed to?" The man asked. His face was wrinkled in a way that indicated near constant smiles.

Link gestured to the tower of Din and the mans expression dropped.

"Haven't you heard? Ganondorf's forces have taken it over. He's got it filled with those desert people! Going there would be suicide"

Link casually shrugged at him and pointed towards the Hylian seal Zelda had ensigned on his tunic.

"I see..." The man said, almost a question. "It's too bad about the princess, huh? Kidnapped."

Link nodded, a flash of the princess laying lifelessly shot through is mind before he returned to himself.

"Well, I must be going. The names Kayden. I'm sure our paths will cross again."

And with that, the strongman was heading away. Link turned towards the tower once more, and set off.

Link reached the tower as the sun was setting. He looked up at the tower and saw the tower was crafted of a stone that caused the light of the setting sun to shoot off of it in a brilliant array of colors and hues. The tower was surrounded on all sides by a pool of water about twenty feet wide which reflected this light, making the pool look as though it were filled with liquid rainbow. The only means of entry was a solitary bridge, leading to the towering diamond door. The door bore the insignia of the Hyrule royal family.

After regarding his remarkable surroundings for several minutes, Link walked towards the door. He pushed the door, and was surprised to see that it wouldn't move. Taking a couple steps back, he examined the door with curiosity. He walked up towards it, and placed his palm on the center of the insignia. The door and the triforce on Link's hand begin to glow and resonate with each other. Link pushed forward once again, and the doors swung open as though they were set on oiled hinges.

Upon drawing his sword, Link walked into the brilliant structure. Glancing around, he noticed the interior was also beautiful. The same substance that had crafted the outside constructed the walls. A chandelier hung from the ceiling, bearing a single candle. This small flame was reflected around the room by the magnificence of the walls, resulting in the room being extraordinarily lit. A deep plush rug covered the floor, bringing solace to Link's aching feet.

Link was amazed by this display of effortless elegance, but couldn't allow himself to gawk and stare, he had a mission to accomplish. He found it odd that he hadn't found any reason to believe that the Gerudos were here.

"I had better be on my guard..." Link thought to himself. He entered the next room, his jaw dropped.

Piles of gold littered the floor in a splendor of yellow. The solidarity of the yellow was only broken by the walls of carefully crafted ruby. And in this, at least twenty masked Gerudos were glaring at him for interrupting their greed.

Several rushed the hero at once, curved scimitars gripped in hands of steel.

The first one reached Link and he brought up his own sword. He rolled to his right, sliding his blade against his opponent's, before slashing the Gerudo's calf. The Gerudo fell to the ground, bleeding heavily. Link leaped up, flipping over the next two Gerudos that were rushing him, side by side. He turned around, blade outstretched, slashing both across their lower backs. They cried out in agony, hands rushing to their backs, letting their blades fall with a series of sharp clacks.

Link finished his revolution, so he ended facing the rest of his adversaries. Another rushed him and he raised a leg, slamming his boot into the chest of the desert warrior. The enemy stumbled backwards, onto the blade of an advancing Gerudo. While the warrior struggled to get her dead ally off her sword, Link sprinted forward, delivering several strikes to her. He propelled himself over the dying two, towards the next challengers. The adrenaline of combat fueled him, and he made short work of the rest of the Gerudos, until none remained.

Breathing heavily, he exited the room as was greeted by a towering flight of stairs. After a moment of displeasure, he begin to climb.

Eventually, he reached the pinnacle, and found another door. He brought his hand to it as he had before, and the door glowed and dispersed, disappearing from existence.

Link walked into the room. It was a large, open room, reminiscent of a cathedral. A huge glass window took up the wall on the far side of the room, and standing by this window, looking out was a women, silhouetted by the light. Link approached her cautiously, hand on blade.

"There is no need for that...at least not yet." She said, unmoving from her position by the window. "Link, is it? I have stood guard here for centuries, awaiting the one who would need to contact Din. Before you, there was another. But he was a mistake. The doors here were designated to resonate with the soul of one who possessed a piece of the triforce. Years ago, Ganondorf came. Before his soul was stained with malice and hatred, he came before the Goddess, seeking the way to unite the triforce once more. She told him the triforce was bonded to a person's soul. This meant the only way to combine the pieces of triforce was to sap the soul of a triforce bearer. He left with this information, vowing to never use it. Yet something happened...and now he has sapped the soul of Princess Zelda. There is a link between Zelda and her triforce of Wisdom that cannot die until she does. Ganondorf left before he could learn this. When he realizes that Zelda still has some strength, he will seek her out once more, and he will kill her. It is your job to make sure she is safe." The woman turned from the window, though she was still silhouetted.

"Draw your sword Link, and prove that you have the strength to protect the princess!" And with that she leaped from her place closer to Link.

Link looked upon her, and saw something remarkable. The woman, was one he knew. But...different. Her hair was blonde, instead of brown. She seemed more experienced. Her eyes possessed a sharp look, as though they had seen incredibly difficult times. And she was wearing tight blue clothes, with a mysterious symbol over the chest. Strapped to her legs there were multiple knives, in addition to the formidable daggers she was holding in her hands. Yet, this was undoubtedly Zelda.

Zelda sprinted towards Link, and flipped over him. Link turned as fast as he could, attempting to keep up with her speed. She slashed at him with one of her daggers, and Link bent backwards, avoiding the swipe by less then an inch. He attempted to kick her, but she flipped backwards, dodging it effortlessly. He pursued her as she continued flipping back through the room. Sword upraised, he lunged at her. She caught the blade with her daggers, and swung it to the right. She then spun around, ramming a severe back kick into Link's chest.

Link flew backwards at high speed. He stabbed his sword into the ground to stop himself from crashing through the window. The resulting sparks turned his sword red with heat. Link skidded to a halt, and ripped the blade from the ground and looked to where Zelda stood. She wasn't there. He looked around hastily, and then up. She was diving towards him, crouching in the air, arms crossed, hands filled with throwing knives.

She threw the knives ruthlessly at him, forcing him to release a fury of quick strikes, knocking them out of the air. Zelda was still coming towards him, and Link drew back one fist to deliver a powerful punch. When he believed the timing was right, he shot his fist forward. She latched onto his arm with her legs, bent forward, and bashed him in the nose. She then grabbed his shoulders, and pushed herself off of him with a dancer's grace.

Through some stroke of luck, he managed to grab her ankle as she was soaring away from him. He grasped the opportunity and pulled her light form back towards him. For this offense she delivered a splitting kick to the right side of his face and tried to wrench her ankle from his grip. Link held firm, knowing he held his only chance for victory. He got Zelda close to him, and wrapped her in a tight bearhug. From there, he reared back his head and brought it forward, slamming his head into the back of Zelda's.

This inelegant move caused Zelda to go limp in his grasp. Gasping for breath, he laid her down gently and waited for her to arise.


	4. Chapter 4

Minutes later, Zelda awoke again. Looking at Link, she began to smile softly.

"Not bad, Hero." She said. "Now...let's got onto business. You must now speak with Din, The legendary Goddess. In order to do this, you will have to find tranquility inside yourself, and allow your astral presence to leave your physical being. Difficult sounding, I know. However, with a little focus, the hero of time oughtn't have much trouble." Here she winked. "Simply sit down, and relax. Close your eyes, and fix your thoughts inside yourself. When you are ready, you will feel very light. Open your eyes, and you will be in the realm of Din. Do you understand?"

Link nodded and sat down, cross-legged, and began to think. At first his thoughts were too fleeting, but after several minutes he found something to focus on. Zelda. He thought of everything about her. The way her hair gleamed in the proper light, her deep eyes, The shine of her smile, and the beautiful chorus of her laughter. After what seemed like several minutes of this, it seemed as though the weight of his clothes was gone. And eventually, as though the weight of his body was gone as well. He then opened his eyes, and gasped.

He was no longer in the beautiful room with Zelda. He was now in a room that was dominated by red. Red carpets covered the floor, and a set of five red stairs led the way to a red throne. And in that throne was a woman. The woman was dressed in a wine-red toga, and her muscles were lean and powerful. Her hair hung from her head, shining like spun gold.

"So, Link, you've come to me." Her voice was like music. "Then I suppose this means the worst has happened, and Ganondorf possesses two pieces of triforce, correct?"

Link looked at the Goddess and nodded.

"Then you're going to need some new equipment. When the Goddesses created the triforce millenniums ago, we created three pieces, as you know. Power, Wisdom, and Courage. However, as a safeguard against evil, we produced a fourth piece to aid a hero, should the need arise. We then broke that piece into three separate pieces, and entrusted one piece to each Goddess. Each Goddess then hid the piece away, to ensure their safety. Unfortunately, the areas we sealed away our segments have changed. What was originally a golden realm of holy pleasure is now a dark world of evil abominations. And in order to get to the temples where we have planted our segments, you will have to fight through demons and monsters of formidable power. And you will need to obtain a key from each of we three goddesses, to enter this world. I will bestow you my key, though you may find the Goddesses not as charitable."

In front of Din, the air shimmered, and a triangular shard of mirror appeared. She sent this piece hovering towards Link.

"When you have the three pieces of mirror, you will be able to travel between our world and the dark world as you please. Now you must travel to the towers of Nayru and Farore. Get the keys from them, and then you will be able to enter the dark world. Go Link, it is your destiny."

Link snapped back to reality with the force of a megaton hammer. His eyelids shot open and he look around frantically for Zelda, but he couldn't find her. However, he did find an odd stone that fit in his palm. He picked it up and was shocked to hear Zelda's voice. Not the new Zelda, but the Zelda he had left at sanctuary.

"Link?" she questioned. However, the voice wasn't aloud. He heard the voice inside his head.

"Z-Zelda?" Link thought.

"Yes! It's me! A passing fighter just randomly stopped in and gave me this stone and said I would find it very valuable. He was a little odd...but I guess that's what to expect. Link, by now you must have spoken with Din."

Link took a few minutes to relate to Zelda what Din had told him.

"Hm...So...by that process, You will most likely need to head to Farore's forest, North of Din's tower. Go quickly, and retrieve Farore's key!"

And then her presence was lost to him and he began the trek to Farore's forest.

While he moved across the countryside he observed the slow growth of the plant life. Grass became luscious and long, Mushrooms sat at the bases of trees, and the trees grew steadily larger and larger until it came to be that he was standing at the entryway to the forest of Farore.

He walked into the forest, enjoying the cool shade the trees cast upon him. A small smile tugged at his lips while he strolled. He took in the smells and feels of the forest. The aroma of flowers and bark, the sound of twigs and leaves crunching and snapping beneath his feet. A faint breeze blew through the forest, allowing a musical of leaves to dance, their branches swaying as conductors. For the first time since this adventure started, Link felt contentment. In this forest, he was happy, as though he were home for the first time in his life.

He walked through the forest for hours, and was prepared to camp for the night when he came to a clearing. The clearing was circular, and was roughly ten yards wide. In four pools of water surrounded the clearing, allowing enough room for a man to comfortably walk towards the center. And in the center, was the symbol of the triforce.

Link walked towards the emblem, and sat down on top of it, and began to concentrate, as he had before, about Princess Zelda. After losing himself in thought for a while, he felt himself separating from his body. He opened his eyes, revealing a large wooden structure.

Confused, Link studied the structure. It looked as though it were an impossibly sized tree. Why was he not with Farore? What was happening?

A large hole sat in the front on the tree, inviting him in. He approached it, and entered.

The inside of the tree was huge. He walked forward, and with sickening surety, found he was falling. He was then sprung back up, into the air. Looking down, Link realized he'd stepped on a spiderweb. Below the spiderweb, there appeared to be another room. Link wondered how he was to get there, until he gave up and moved on. From where he was standing, the only way he could way he could go was climbing a ladder towards a small opening in the ceiling. He noticed a ledge high above him, but there was no logical way to get up there.

Thus, he climbed the ladder, revealing a second level in the tree's architecture. He looked around and saw monsters that resembled large spiders walking around this level. Link attempted to sneak past them without alerting them, but the creatures saw him.

The three giant spiders rushed him, moving as fast as any horse, and about the size of a large bull. Link jumped to the left just in time, hardly missing the mandibles of the first approaching Spider. Their spindly legs sent a series of sharp "CLACK"s around the room. Link stood up, and another spider sprinted towards him. He whipped out his sword in a flourish, and slashed at the front legs of his foe. The legs separated easily, and green ooze shot out of the wounds. The spider lost it's balance, and smashed it's face into the ground.

Link took this opportunity to leap upon the creature, driving his blade through the monster's head. The body of the beast skittered madly before falling still. He then ripped the blade from the beast's head, and looked at the other two. They both charged him at full speeds. Link dove towards them, sword raised. He slashed downward, disposing of another spider. He landed, and kicked his boot into the back leg of the final spider, which had been unable to stop it's mad charge. The leg snapped under the pressure of his heel. Link then slashed the creatures abdomen, resulting in a pool of green slime to fly come from the wound.

Panting mildly, Link sheathed his sword. He ran towards a ledge and vaulted over it, reaching a doorway he had previously missed. He opened the door and entered the new room.

Thick steel bars slammed shut over the door and Link exclaimed in shock as he was locked in the room. The room was square, and looked perfectly normal, aside from the hulking minotaur in the center.

It must have been ten feet tall, and was firmly muscled. It held a golden battleax with both hands. It's fur covered every inch of it's body in dark, deep blue fuzz. Gleaming jet black horns protruded from it's temples.

Upon seeing Link, the minotaur shrieked in rage, and began to walk towards him, shining ax raised overhead. Link quickly drew his sword and shield, and began to circle the creature. It swung the ax at him horizontally, and he jumped over blade. The minotaur was unable to stop itself mid swing, and stuck it's ax in the thick wood of the walls. Link took the opportunity to attack the beast's legs with a flurry of sword swipes.

The Minotaur howled with pain, and ripped the ax from the wall, a chunk of wood still attached. It attacked Link with an overhead strike, which Link barely dodged. The chunk of wood from the wall shattered from the impact, sending an explosion of wood to shoot around the room. One such shard lodged itself firmly in Link's right arm. The pain caused link to drop his shield. He cried out in pain before ripping out the wooden intruder. He turned towards the minotaur, and saw it's head lowered towards him. Knowing what was about to happen, he kneeled on one knee, back against the wall, sword in hand. The minotaur began to charge at him. It's speed was impressive, and had the blow struck Link, it surely would have been the end of him. And the blow would have struck him if he hadn't been kneeling. Since he was, however, The minotaur only managed to stab it's horns into the wall of the room. It struggled to free itself for naught, as Link raised his sword, stabbing the beast in the eye. It's struggling stopped, and the body hung loosely in the wall.

The steel bars raised up, allowing Link to leave. And then something happened. A glow filled the center of the room. Sparkles fluttered about, and soon a chest appeared. Link walked towards the chest with a confused expression on his face. He opened it and reached inside.

What he pulled out was a very long rope with a four pronged hook on the end. A grappling hook. And Link knew exactly where he was going to use it.


	5. Chapter 5

Minutes later, Link stood in the first room he had entered, grappling hook in hand. He was looking upward, towards the alcove he had spotted earlier, and intended to use this new tool to climb to it. He began to slowly spin the hook before throwing it up. It landed in the cavern and Link pulled the rope taut. The hook skittered before finding a firm hold on the ledge.

Link gave the rope a few tugs before beginning to climb. He placed one foot in front of the other at a slow pace, not wanting to slip. He eventually hoisted himself into the previously unreachable area, and was greeted by the sight of another door.

Staring at the door darkly, Link entered. No bars slammed shut, allowing Link to freely leave whenever he chose. Looking around this room, he noticed two doors on the left and right sides. Moss grew on the lower part of the walls, and spiderwebs hung in the corners. Four columns of dark wood populated the room.

He entered the left door, and found a very similar room, though only one door, to the right. Entering this, Link discovered he was in a very large room, wider then both of the two rooms he had just come through. Several of the large spiders scuttled around the room, their feet thudding dully on the the floor. Link walked towards one stealthily before jumping up, and landing on the monster's large behind and stabbing his sword through the tough shell. The squeal of agony alerted the other spiders in the room, and they dashed towards Link. He quickly dispatched them with several slashes of his sword.

And, as before, sparkles began to flutter around the room, until a chest appeared. He opened the chest, and found a peculiar orange gem. Upon touching it, a voice spoke clearly to him.

"This is the gem of fire. With it's burning might, you will be able to channel to power of flames."

With this token in hand, Link trekked back to the opening room of this wooden dungeon. He looked down at the spiderweb which he had bounced on earlier. Holding the gem of fire in one hand, Link outstretched the other, and a bolt of flames shot from it. The hungry flames ate the dry web quickly and thoroughly, allowing Link to pass through. He fell through the hole with increasing rapidity until he came to a sudden crash in a pool of water.

As he pulled himself out of this pool, he noticed he wasn't alone. A very large monster was inhabiting the room, though it appeared to be sleeping. While lying down, it was easily fifteen feet high. Link estimated that while on it's legs, it must be roughly thirty. It's body was covered in thick black fur. The body resembled a bull, and the head had two ebony horns jutting from the temples, though one horn was cracked. A deadly looking row of teeth hung heavily from the monster's top jaw. Powerful black hooves accompanied the back legs, while the front possessed a pair of finger like projections that seemed as sharp as razor blades. The beast had white spikes protruding from it's shoulders, and along it's spine at seemingly random intervals.

Link looked from the large bull like creature to examine his surroundings. The room was huge, as it had to be to hold a creature of such vast size. The wall right of Link had letter's encrypted to it.

"All who enter this place shall provide sustenance for the king of all beasts, Taurus"

Link groaned slightly as he heard the creature begin to growl. Looking back towards it he found it had awoken, and was glaring at him through reflective black eyes. The mighty beast howled at the lone hero before lowering it's head and rushing towards him with it's powerful horns. Link quickly sprinted out of the way of this behemoth. As Taurus realized Link was no longer in it's path, he skidded to a halt. It tossed it's massive head around, looking for prey before locking eyes with the adventurer who had stumbled into it's domain. Releasing a cry of such fury the walls shook, it rushed Link once more.

Except this time, Link stood his ground. The beast grew closer and closer, and still he did not move. Until the very last minute when he fell to one knee. Taurus's horns grazed the top of his hat, and the wind nearly blew it from his head. Link then jumped up, trying to stab his sword into the monster's chest. The sword simply bounced off the powerful hide of the beast.

"Damn!" Thought Link. He couldn't stab this thing. How would he kill it? He sprinted from beneath the creature, fearing it would collapse on him, crushing him to death. He stood on the other side of the room, sword in one hand, shield in the other. Bouncing on the balls of his feet, he bashed his sword against his shield. He figured if he could taunt the creature into continuously charging him, he may be able to wear it out so much that it would be simple to kill.

This time, as the creature roared it's fury, a ball of black energy filled it's mouth. This beam shot out of it's mouth and towards Link, surprising him. He hardly had enough time to raise his shield to block this attack. The force of the ball blew Link from his feet, sending him tumbling through the air. He landed harshly on the ground, sending jolts of pain to race through his back. Nonetheless, he rolled backwards, propelling himself back onto his feet.

He thought of how he could defeat this monster, but none came to mind, until he looked the creature in the eyes once more. Those eyes, black as starless night would have to be delicate. If he could get up to them, he should be able to end this creature's life, and save himself. But how to get up there? Then the idea came to Link.

Once more, he taunted Taurus to charge him, and this time it obliged. Link sheathed his sword, then leaped to the side, just outside of it's path. He then reached into his pack, pulling out his grappling hook. He spun it several times before throwing it at the gigantic head of the beast. It looped around one of the horns several times, just as Link had prayed it would, and hooked onto it, giving a firm hold. The rope then grew taut, and Link was ripped from his footing, following the creature as it continued it's mad dash around the room. He slowly climbed the rope, as it trailed wildly behind the creature that was now aware that it's prey had become it's passenger. After what seemed like hours of arduous climbing, Link reached the head of the beast. He drew his sword once more, and slammed it into the eye hole of Taurus.

The great beast howled in the agony, and whipped it's head around, trying to fling Link off. However, Link held firm, and delivered another decimating stab to the beast. A cloud of red blood shot from the eye socket as the eye exploded. It was then that Taurus, the king of beasts, fell heavily to the ground, dead.

It's severe weight caused the room to quake, and the loose dust of the floor to fly around with a great "WHOOSH!". Link untangled his grappling hook, and put it back in his pack. He then leaped off the gigantic monster, and was shocked to find a woman standing there. Her hair was Auburn, and her eyes were as brown as the Earth. She wore a green toga, and her form was slender, though you could tell she possessed a great deal of power.

"Congratulations Link. You have completed my trial. By besting the mighty king of beasts, you have proven your strength as a warrior. You need not inform me of why you are here, for I already know. You may take my key, but you must always remember that you hold the fate of worlds upon your shoulders. You must live, so that all may live. You must save the Hylians, as only a Hylian can. Be the strength of a people, Link. Show the world that evil shall not conquer. That power shall not conquer courage. Display your strength, and defeat the evil that inhabits your land. Go Link, now, to Nayru's dwelling, at Lake Hylia. Obtain her key, and enter the world of darkness."

And with that, Farore vanished, leaving behind a piece of shining mirror, broke into a triangular segment. Link combined this with the piece of mirror he'd received from Din, and the pieces fused together in a glorious white light.

Only one piece remained until Link could enter the world of darkness to save his world.

Link came back to reality, and opened his eyes, once again in the peaceful clearing of forest. He pulled out the telepathic stone he'd received from Zelda.

"Link? Did you get the second key?"

Link informed her that he had managed to obtain the key from Farore.

"Yes! That's great! Now we only need Nayru's segment, and you can get the final piece of the triforce!"

Link smiled as he heard the excitement in her voice. He felt that hearing that voice could make this entire journey worth it.

"Nayru's temple is located at lake Hylia. Go there as soon as you can Link. There's a world to be saved."


	6. Chapter 6

Link traveled across the land for many days until he reached Lake Hylia. He came to the lake at mid-day, and as such, saw the sun shining brightly overhead, causing the lake to shine a brilliant blue. In the center of this great lake, there was an island. And upon this island there sat a single building. This building caught all the rays of the sun, and used them to make itself twinkle. Several families of Hylians were laying on the beaches, taking in the warmth.

Link entered the water, warmed by the light's touch, and began to swim towards the island. After a few minutes of steady progress, the tips of his boots scraped the ground, and he walked the remaining distance. He pushed the large wooden doors open, and entered the temple of Nayru.

The floor was of cobbled stone, and the wall seemed to be made from stone bricks. Four sapphires, the size of a globe were inlaid into the walls, one for each direction. And around each of these, twelve more sapphires, these around the size of grapes. A tall doorway stood on the opposite end of the room, and Link approached it. He pulled the door open, and was shocked to find only a small alcove, no larger then the common closet. He looked down and saw that there wasn't a viewable floor, only water. He got in, and sucked in so much air that his lungs felt primed to explode. Then, he dove.

The underwater tunnel seemed to go on for ages. Link kept his eyes open, and noticed the water cast a blue-green haze. The tunnel he was swimming through had a diameter about twice Link's shoulder width, allowing for him to swim with relative ease. Minutes passed, and still he did not see the end. His lungs were powerful, but he knew he could hold his breath no longer then five minutes. He kept swimming at a quick pace, hoping to reach the end before his lungs gave out.

Another minute passed, with no end in sight. Link could begin to feel his lungs quaking within his chest. He hurried the pace of his swim, and came to a point where the tunnel bottomed out, and stopped it's descent, beginning to move forward. Link thought he might see an end, and his lungs were beginning to burn. He used the walls to push himself along faster, needing to give his lungs the air they demanded. He was only twenty feet away, and his lungs were screaming at him. Ten feet, his vision growing dark. He made it! He came out of the water, sputtering, coughing, and sucking in air heavily.

The room Link had entered seemed filled with tension, despite it's lack of residents. Link pulled himself out of the water wearily, shifting his gaze around the room, eyes peeled for anywhere enemies could hide. The room was square, and about ten feet wide. The walls were undecorated, instead remaining a pearly white. There were no doors. The room seemed solid as a rock, with no means of entry or escape, aside from the water filled tunnel. Figuring that this may be the room he must meditate in, he kneeled in the center of the room. However, as he tried to focus, grotesque images flooded his mind. His uncle, beaten and bloody, lying in his arms. His home town, torched to the ground, charred corpses littering the ground. Castle town, a shadow of itself, the sky dark while hideous monsters roamed the square. And then Zelda. Her frame was emaciated and pale, and her eyes seemed hollow, devoid of any life.

The image of Zelda was the final touch, and Link jumped to his feet. He had to get out. He dove back into the water, finding it much less difficult now. Minutes later, he reentered the room with the large sapphires with their three surrounding gems. He sprinted towards the door, throwing them open wildly, before stumbling out into the howling winds of outside. The sky was blackened with clouds, with wind that whipped at Link's cap and hair. The people he had seen earlier had clearly departed, as the beach on the other side of the lake was abandoned.

Link reached into his pouch, and pulled out the telepathy stone in order to contact Zelda, in order to be sure she was all right. His efforts to reach her were blocked, as though a wall had been constructed between their connection. He pressed at the wall earnestly, but with no luck. Then, as he was about to give up, he felt a new presence blast through the mental wall, and connect to his own consciousness. Link could feel the sinister nature of the presence through the connection.

"The mind of a hero...How delightful." A voice spoke in his head. "The Princess was cute in thinking that her petty wall would protect you, Hero. My powers far-surpass hers now, even in her own realm of wisdom and telepathy." And Link knew the intruder was Ganondorf.

"Oh, very perceptive, Hero. I'll save you the brain cells that will surely die while you attempt to piece the next part together. I have Zelda again. Once more, you failed to protect her. She is here at death mountain. You're only chance to save her is to defeat me. And this time, there will be no escaping."

And then the presence departed from Link's mind. Fury was born in Link's stomach, and began clawing it's way up his throat. He opened his mouth and let out a feral cry of rage. If he must die in the process, he would kill Ganondorf.

Less then a day later, Link stood at the other end of Hyrule, at the base of death mountain. This time, he felt no intimidation by the rock's massive size. He entered the cave without hesitation.

The entrance was different from Link's previous visit. It was a massive room, with spiraling staircases, crafted from obsidian, on either end of the rectangular room. The walls were of harsh, burnt black stone. Dozens of humanoid-boar monsters populated the room, and as Link entered, several lifted their noses towards the sky and began to sniff. Their heads then snapped towards Link and they began to charge, dirty tusks at the ready.

Link dispatched them ruthlessly, sending crescents of bright green blood flying around the room. His blade was a flashing glint of silver, shining in the air for less then a second, before slicing through the tough flesh of the boar men effortlessly. Each painful slash was accentuated by the pitiful squeals of pain that blasted from the snouts of the boar men. Link was a merciless deity, and these were the damned. Corpses surrounded him, and he began to run to the staircase on the right side of the room. He bounded up the stairs, entering a room which looked slightly like the room he had just left. However, this room had no monsters, and possessed rock formations which resembled rafters.

Link paid no mind to the scenery, and sprinted towards the other side of the room, desiring only to sever Ganondorf's life force. He set foot in a soft substance, and nearly fell into it, face first. He looked down and saw that he was being sucked into a sandlike substance. Had he been unprepared, this could have killed him. However, his mind was sharp with rage, and he grabbed his grappling hook from his bag. He tossed it up, looping it around one of the rafters, and then began to pull himself out of the quick sand. He climbed the rope, and eventually rose onto the rafters. He then began to acrobatically leap from rafter to rafter, towards the far end of the room. When he came to the end, he dropped down, landing just before the first step of the obsidian stairway.

Once more, Link rushed up these steps, and found himself in a similar room. However, this room had many monsters, which were situated behind a large wooden wall in the center of the room. Two of the boar men were armed with long bows, and were stationed in towers at either end of the wall. The nocked their arrows, and took aim before being blasted by fireballs.

Link had taken hold of his gem of fire and blasted off several shots of flame. As he held it, flames erupted over his body, and his eyes glowed white. He raised one hand, and shot a continuous wave of fire at the wooden barrier, causing it to ignite in a fantastic blaze. He kicked through the burning wall, into the monsters den. He let the flames explode from him, and in a haze of heat and red, the former inhabitants blackened, before crumbling onto the floor as ash.

The staircase in the room was constructed of black marble, and not obsidian. Link took this one slowly, allowing himself to breathe, and allowing his flame of his rage to fan.

When Link reached the top of the staircase, he wasn't surprised to find Ganondorf staring him down from the other end of the long room. He was seated in throne, which had the emblem of the triforce built over the top of the back portion.

"Ah! Hero! You've come!" Ganondorf said in mock surprise. "Why do I receive the pleasure?"

Link only glared at the man in black.

"Oh, yes...her..." He said. And with a wave of his hand, zelda appeared, encapsulated by a blue crystalline prison. Her eyes widened upon seeing Link, and he could tell she had been crying.

Link drew his sword and took a step forward.

"Stop hero!" Ganondorf shouted, "You know you cannot defeat me, so why try? If you simply give me your piece of the triforce, I shall let the two of you leave here."

Link looked towards Zelda and noticed she was vehemently shaking her head. Link turned to Ganondorf and did the same.

"Fool...The result shall be the same, you see? Except now I must take your triforce by force." And with that, Ganondorf stood up and conjured a sword of shadows. He pointed this at Link. "Hero, you cannot escape now!"


	7. Chapter 7

Ganondorf rose into the air, cape billowing threateningly behind him. He whipped around, full circle, and slashed the air. A beam of darkness flew off of Ganondorf's blade, propelled at Link. Link quickly leaped into the air, bringing his knees in to his chest. The horizontal blast passed under him at an unbelievable speed, passing the length of the room before crashing into a wall on the far side. The wall ripped away, letting in the harshly cold air of the mountain peak.

Link held his fire gem, and used it to shoot a blast of fire towards Ganondorf. The blast took Ganondorf by surprise, slamming into his face with full of force. His neck flicked backward, before he returned it to his original position, giving Link a cold glare.

"Some cheap trick the Goddesses gave you?" came the question, his voice hardly containing the vastness of his rage. "It's of no consequence, your death is destined." He then plummeted to the ground like a comet before standing upright and letting out a ferocious roar. Waves of darkness rushed off of him, and a vicious wind radiated from him. Links cloths blew back in ripples as this gust of evil wind assaulted him. He put one arm instinctively over his eyes, until the winds died down slightly.

Ganondorf was standing with a malevolent black aura surrounding him. Then he rushed towards the hero, dark saber raised. Link brought up his own blade in time for their swords to clang against each other, leaping back to narrowly avoid a punch thrown by his foe. Ganondorf followed relentlessly, forcing Link to take the defensive position. A flurry of swipes, punches, and kicks were rained upon him, which he hardly managed to dodge or block. Then a punch, cloaked in darkness, caught in him the diaphragm, sending him across the room and slamming into the firm walls of the dwelling. A scream tried to escape his throat, but Link was unable to find the necessary air.

Link fell from the wall, landing unceremoniously on the floor, legs outstretched crookedly.

"See what you're against! See how hopeless your crusade is! Give into me!" Ganondorf shouted at him. Then his jaw sunk slightly.

"Never." Link spoke clearly, as he stood up. Over Link's heart, a small flame began to blossom. He took a step towards Ganondorf, sword and shield raised defiantly. The flames spread until they danced over his body. His eyes were shining brightly with the light of determination, and the flame spread to his sword and shield. He charged Ganondorf with the speed of a deity. Ganondorf met the attack full on. The two dueled briefly, parrying every slash and stab of the others blade. Eventually they jumped back from each other, staring wearily at each other. One cloaked in flames of light, the other in darkness. Two ends of a spectrum. They seemed to take a moment to consider the gravity of their fight, the symbolism of good and evil, power and courage. Then they returned to their battle.

The two flew at each other, and swiped at each other. Link bringing his sword downward, Ganondorf upward. The blades collided, and shards of darkness and light exploded from the blades like shrapnel. Fury tore through Ganondorf's mind, righteous determination through Link's heart, fueling the razor edges. Ganondorf grimaced with disbelief, as his weapon began to sag under the strength of Link's. He pushed desperately at his sword, before it finally gave completely. The strength of Link's weapon then struck the evil king in the head, causing him to fall to the floor in agony.

Link stood over him, weapon in hand.

"No! Stop! Link! Don't do this! I'll give you anything! You can have the other two pieces of triforce! Absolute power would be yours!" Ganondorf pleaded.

Link shook his head, and raised his weapon for what he believed would be the final time. He then drove the blade home, into the maw of the king of thieves.

He exhaled in relief, and let out a glorious shout of victory, proclaiming to the skies that he had won. Then he looked to where Zelda prison had been, intent on rescuing her. However, he was confused when he saw in it's place, a slim woman sat, with delicate elven feature. Her eyes glowed blue, and her hair was straight and golden. She slowly began to clap.

"Impressive, Link." She said in a bright tone. "Not the battle, of course, you were going to win that. But of what just occurred. Your enemy was willing to give you the all the power in the universe, and you turned it down. I didn't think you would."

Link stood, staring at the woman, trying to comprehend what was happening.

"I was half weary you'd figure it out before you had this battle, which would certainly show-case your wisdom, but hardly inform me of your resolve."

Figure what out?

"Hm, you still don't know? Well, Let me give you a couple hints. You were in the temple of a goddess, correct? And then you had to go through an unusually long pathway of water. The room you arrived in had no point, instead, only showing you the worst fears of your subconscious, your nightmares, persay. You then left, finding the pathway of water to be no trouble. The architecture of the entrance had changed slightly. The weather had changed incredibly, which would simply not be possible, in the short amount of time you were away. You then arrived at Death mountain in an irrational amount of time. What could that mean"

Link thought slowly on the subject, knowing this woman expected him to have the answer. And then it dawned upon him.

"It's all been the trial!" Link exclaimed, eyes wide, "And that makes you Nayru!"

"Correct" Said the Goddess, smiling widely. "This entire event, which has taken a day in your mind, had taken only 9 seconds in the true world. I set up the tunnel of water to be long enough to drain your lungs of their air. Don't worry, you'll be safe. I'll give you enough air to make it back out. Anyway, the point of this, was to see if you could resist the temptation of ultimate power. And you did it better then most anyone could have predicted. No hesitation at all. Thus, I feel you've earned three gifts. The first? A gem of ice, which works much like the one of fire you possess." And then the air in front of Nayru glowed in a blue light, which dispersed, revealing a clear gem, which looked as if it had been carefully crafted from ice.

"The second? My shard of the mirror. And the third is the previously mentioned oxygen you humans enjoy so much. Now you may enter the world of darkness, Link. On the Southernmost point of Hyrule, you will find a temple crafted of dark stones, and inside you will find a glowing purple pattern. Step into the pattern with the mirror, and you will enter the dark realm. In this realm, there will be several temples. I first recommend Stone-tusk temple, in the midst of the dark desert, East of where you will come into the dark world. You will uncover the truth of your family line, namely, your father."

Link shuddered slightly at the mention of his father. He had never known the man. What could this mean?

"Go Link, I have planted a map of the dark realm in your pack in the true world, with the locations of these temples. Gather the final piece of triforce, and defeat Ganondorf!"

Link vision began to blur and get fuzzy, as he exited the make believe world. A wave of slight nausea descended on him as he opened his eyes, and found himself under water. He rushed to swim to the surface, and found that Nayru fulfilled her promise of giving him enough air. He had finally gathered all three pieces of the mirror. He could now get the pieces of triforce...and now his father had been brought into it. Link could feel his stomach churning with his nerves. What would he learn from about his father?

He realized there was only one way to find out, and left the Tower of Nayru, heading towards the South of Hyrule.


	8. Chapter 8

Days of wandering passed as though they were minutes, and Link stood before the great black pyramid that would take him to the dark world. It stood against the bright blue sky like an infected scar. Link knew this had once been a sacred place, long sought by greedy men. Now it was nothing more then a cesspool of darkness and hate. Stone stairs led the way towards the black entrance, and Link climbed them, slowly and deliberately.

Two large archways served as the entrance, one on either side of the stairs. Link entered, and found the room to be filled with shadow, with only a faint, pulsing purple light which hung around the room like a mist. He looked upon the floor, and found a purple circle, which enclosed a triforce emblem, comprised of the same glowing material. He knew this was the portal through which he would enter a world of evil, yet he possessed little fear of it. It was his destiny to purge that world of darkness, and purge it he would.

Link kept his head up as he entered the circle.

A crushing pain gripped his stomach and he fell to his knees. It was as though someone had forced him to swallow a burning coal. He gripped his stomach, low gasps of pain emanating from his mouth. The pain began to spread throughout his body, and he felt like he was being stabbed by thousands of white-hot knives. His eyes began to cloud with moisture as the pain grew and grew until it was a challenge to even remain on his three limbs. With no small effort, he removed his left hand from his stomach, placing it on the floor. He dug his fingernails into the hard stony ground, which only succeeded in worsening the intensity of his pain. Darkness began to obscure his vision and finally, Link collapsed onto his side, and fell into blackness.

Some unknown time later, he awoke again. His body still tingled from the burning pain he had suffered, but said pain was no longer a part of him. He stood shakily, and stumbled from the temple. The temple was largely the same, but everything else seemed vastly different. The formerly azure sky had turned to a gray, as though someone had scattered ashes to the winds. No sun or moon was to be seen, and the ground seemed to bear no living thing. Sparse tufts of dead grass littered the otherwise bare landscape here and there, but the dense forests of Hyrule were nowhere to be found.

Link took several minutes to remember where Nayru had suggested he go when he entered the dark world before remembering he should enter the dark desert, and find stone-tusk temple. There he would find knowledge about the line of his family. Thus, he began to trek eastward.

Hours passed, and the world grew darker still, into what Link assumed was it's version of night. The sky had darkened to pure black, without a single star viewable. Link took refuge under a small dying tree. He pushed his pack under his head to act as a cushion while he thought.

He tried to remember anything he could about his father but nothing would come to him. He had been told his father had died before he was born, killed in some battle, though his Uncle had never told him what that battle was about. His mother had then gone to live with his Uncle, her brother in law. She gave birth to Link, but died three years later. One of Link's only memories of her was vivid.

He had been in his crib crying because he was cold. The window had been left open and it was windy. His mother had come to him in her white dressing gown. Her hair had been a beautiful platinum color. Her gown and hair blew back in the wind, giving her as much beauty as any Goddess. This image had been enough to make him stop crying. She picked him up, rocked him, and seemed untroubled by his interruption of her sleep. He clung to her, short arms wrapped around her neck. To him, she had smelled like magic. A mixture of berries and nectar it seemed to him now. Then she had begun to sing. A melodic wonderful sound that he could not have dreamed of. His eyes had begun to fall, until he fell to sleep.

Months later, she had passed on. This left only Link and his Uncle, who did not tell Link much. He taught Link how to battle with every manner of weapon, including his own body. He told Link he was destined for greatness, and trained him for it.

These were the only three members of his family he knew existed. He secretly longed to know more. Where and how his mother and father had met. What things his father had done, and if he looked like him. If his father was more skilled then him in battle. If he was funny. So many questions swirled through Link's head, until he fell into a dream filled sleep.

Link arose at what he believed to be day time, and pressed on. Looked upon the map, and saw that he was no close to the dark desert Nayru had described to him. Unfortunately, this desert appeared to stretch on for miles and miles, and the temple was right in the middle of it. He knew the long trek across the desert would be taxing on his strength, especially since it had to be made on foot. However, at least, there was supposed to be a small river that he could use to fill his water bags, that he would come to shortly.

And come to it he did. The water ran sluggishly, like the blood of some dying animal. Link filled his water bags before continuing East. He came to the desert as "night" began to fall, but he paid it no heed. He would continue his journey. The desert was not how he had pictured. He had pictured bright, yellow mounds of heated sand which stretched on far beyond the horizon. Instead, the ground was mainly flat, and was composed of a dark brown or black powdery substance. Occasionally, there was a towering mountain of this material, but they were very few. And the starkest contrast to his imagination was the bleak coolness which settled over the place. It clung to his bones, making him feel clumsy and lethargic.

Despite the surprise of reality, Link was not wholly unprepared. He drew his gem of fire, and used it to keep a flame lit, large enough to keep his body warm while he walked.

As he walked by one of the dunes, he thought he heard a noise, like an hourglass. However, he had seen no living thing since he arrived in this world, and dismissed it. Then he heard a large, "CHEEP"ing noise, and whirled around. Thousands of animals were rushing out from this mound. They were similar to scorpions, only the size of his head. He wondered how so many had fit into the large dune, for perhaps a second before he realized they were coming towards him. He grimaced with distaste as he used the gem of fire to blast them with the flames. They screeched sharply with the agony, as their flesh sizzled and popped with heat. However, there numbers were enormous. They kept coming and coming, using the body's of the fallen as shields, forcing Link backwards. Eventually the bodies of the dead would simply crumble to ash, thus revealing a new line of the insects to be scorched. And still they rushed from that damned mound.

Link grew desperate for a way to end the onslaught of his foes. He decided to decimate their home. So he willed the flames to char the dune from which they came. A symphony of squeals and screeches erupted from the colony of scorpions as they burned alive in their home. The ones outside of the dune rushed towards link, letting out angry hisses. He slashed at them with blinding speed, cutting them all down.

"These dunes must be like anthills..." Link thought. "But...if that's true...then they must have tunnels right under me!"

The thought didn't please Link, and he knew he would be unable to sleep until he was on solid ground once more. He dismissed the flames, as he believed it was the heat which had attracted the creatures in the first place. Soon, the clumsy numbness set in again, but he felt it better then dealing with those monsters again.

Minute passed before he heard the sand moving once again. He rapidly shifted his gaze all around, looking for where it had come from. But the nearest mound was over thirty yards away. Even his sharp ears wouldn't be able to pick up such a soft sound from so far away. Then a sickening realization came to him, and he looked down.

He had been wrong, the scorpion's weren't attracted to his heat, they had found him through the vibrations coming from his walking. Now they were tunneling up towards him. Link ran forward ten yards, and turned around, using the fire gem again, hoping to warm himself up for the coming battle.

The sand started to cave in where he had been standing, and he expected legions of the bugs to start pushing themselves from the hole. Instead, the hole just kept getting bigger and bigger, wider and wider, until it was a circle, roughly five yards across. Then a giant monstrosity broke free from the surface, sending black sand exploding into the air. It resembled the animal's Link had just killed, only much larger. It stood at roughly Link's height, on eight wicked legs, with two manic pancers waving threateningly in the air. It's shell was black, with several blood red spots. The thing was twice as wide as Link was tall, all leading to a rather intimidating picture.

"_Their Queen._" Link thought morbidly.

Link's first instinct was to roast the thing with flames, as he had it's smaller brethren. He sent the flames towards the beast, but they simply rolled off, as though the thing were immune. The giant scorpion ran through the billowing flames, right towards link, with it's right pincer extended.

Link leaped up at the last moment, landing on the scorpion's pincer as it clamped shut on empty air. He ran up the length of the arm, to the main body, searching for the eyes, but to no avail.

"_It has no eyes."_ Link thought. "_That means it's can only find me through sound or touch._"

He laid himself down on the back of the monster, jamming the tip of his sword under the edge of one of it's ridged segments. He pushed hard on the handle of his saber, hoping to pry the armor away, revealing the soft under-flesh. He strained, and his muscles bulged before the piece finally began to give way. After it was up high enough, Link grabbed it, and tore it from the back of the Giant scorpion. Link then drew his weapon once more, slamming it, blade down, into the flesh of the queen scorpion.

A hellish screech rang through the air as thick, black blood flew from the point of Link's attack. The queen began to buck, sending the hero flying through the air, Sword still embedded in the back of the insect. He hit the ground, rolling to avoid to damage, and sprang to his feet. His shield was mounted on his right arm, and he had no sword. The queen had begun to use her tail, slamming it's poisoned tip into the shifting ground. Link was doing a fair job of dodging, but was wondering how long he could keep it up. Every time the brute sent it's tail into the ground, it sent up a cloud of black sand, which partially blinded Link. The thick tail swiped, and Link leaped over it, then grabbed a hold. The tail swung upward, and he let go, propelling himself back onto the monster's back. He took hold of his sword, ripping it from the back of the beast, causing another squeal of pain and fury.

Link could tell his enemy was on it's last legs, and he sought to break those legs. He reached into his pack, and gripped the ice gem that Nayru had given him. He then caused the scorpion's legs to freeze. It squealed, and tried desperately to break free. Link walked up to it, and climbed onto it's back for a final time. He stabbed the sword, hilt deep, one final time, and the Queen was dead, collapsing heavily onto the ground.

Link gasped as countless swarms of bugs rose forth from the dunes and the ground. He readied his blade, preparing to fight until his final breath, and take as many out as he could. However, they all scuttled past him, towards their queen. He turned, shocked at the sight, and saw they were burrowing into the sand, and taking the carcass of their queen deep into the ground. The bugs burrowed in, until only one remained. It gave Link an accusatory look, as if to say, "You caused this!" before turning around a burrowing away.

As the adrenaline began to wear off, he started to feel the wounds that had been given to him. His eyes stung with the sand that had been driven into them, and his body ached from falling to the ground so often. He looked to East, and began walking once more, forcing his body to keep going despite his pains. By the time "dawn" arrived, Link could see the temple of stone-tusk in the distance. Soon, he would know everything he wanted to know about his family.


	9. Chapter 9

The temple was gigantic. It spread several thousand feet, sprawling with hallways and corridors like a great complex. It had been built from a dusty gray material, and stood two stories high. Link came to the stone door, and entered the temple.

The temple was well lit by torches, blazing with flames, hung upon the walls. The room that served as the entrance had a door for every wall. Over each door, there was a word. On the left, written in ancient Hylian, was the word, "Wisdom". On the right, "Power" and in the front, there was, "Courage". On the front of each door was a triangle, each with a different color. Courage was green. Power was black. And wisdom was pink. He tried to open each door, and found that the only doors he could open were the exit, and the door under Courage. He entered the area of courage, and found a seemingly endless hallway, with doors along each wall.

Link was filled curiosity, and entered the first door on his left. This room smelled musty, and walls were barren, aside from several rough paintings. These seemed to follow a linear storyline across the room. The first image was of a seemingly malevolent deity. It's horns were unproportional, as though drawn by a child, and it's fingers were simple triangle figures. Despite it's simplistic design, the image still had the power to send chills down Link's spine, making him shudder. This image then led to a hero in a green cap, sword in hand, leading a small group of warriors against this foe. An image of men and demons locked in battle, until only the green-capped hero and the lead demon remained. The next image was of the hero slaying the demon atop a mound of their fallen comrades. The final picture was of the hero raising his sword to the sky, demon underfoot.

"_So my first known ancestor killed off demons_?" Link thought.

He exited the room, curiosity still in tact, and entered the room across the hall. This room smelled thickly of dust, and the walls were covered with books. A table and chair stood in the middle of the room, and on the table was an open book. Link sat down, and recognized it as a journal. He read the open entry.

"My heart had almost given way as I saw the dreadful amalgamation of our hatred and fury descending upon us. We could not run, we could do nothing, our lives were no longer ours. It came down upon us on wings of shadow, bringing winds I had believed only existent in the afterlife. Our city's roads were covered in the bodies of the dead, those who had fought do defend. Derek...Arthur and Brian...How I miss them so sorely... Their efforts were meaningless. All survivors knew we could not be called so for much longer. Until a man, dressed in green, charged the hell spawn, gripping a sword which let off a seemingly divine light. I expected him to meet his demise, as my husband had...as my sons had. Yet, he survived. He destroyed this monster, this being that had been sent upon us by the Gods. He had somehow saved us...and I hated him for it. Why had he not died? Why must I lose the whole of my family, while he may live? I know this is bitter and unhealthy, but I cannot deny my deep hatred for Link..."

Intrigued, Link turned several pages, until he glimpsed words which caught his eye.

"Well, I did it. I killed him. I killed the hero. Proves he wasn't so damn invincible in the first place. The city will suspect me, and they are perhaps coming to take me right now. I won't let them. This dagger of mine shall allow me to be the master of my death. Before I do though, allow me to tell how I took that bastard's life. As I mentioned before, this hero had taken a notice of me after the battle. So much so he could hardly remove his eyes from my being. Then he tried making advances. Damn him, thinking I'd be such a good girl for him. I played along, waiting for my moment to strike. Then(once again), as I said, last night I asked him to meet me by the fountain in the center of town at midnight, knowing it would be deserted. He arrived, as I knew he would, wearing no armor. He came to me with a smile on his face, which soon fell away as he felt my blade pierce his chest. He fell backwards, and I lunged upon him. I let the dagger come down repeatedly, temporarily losing myself in my rage and release I don't know how long as kneeled there, driving my blade into his chest, but when I recovered myself, I was covered in blood, and I could see the interior of his rib cage. I had broken the ribs on his left side...and torn out his heart. I'm not quite sure where it went. I can hear the alarm beginning. They know what has been done, and they know it was me. I must beat them, meaning I must go. This is my final entry. Goodbye."

And the next two words caused Link to recoil in shock.

"Signed, Zelda"

Link was bewildered. Zelda had killed him in a past life! Lost herself in a spate of fury, and drove a blade into his heart, simply because he existed. He dropped the book on the table, and left the room, closing the door loudly. He assumed the hallway was following a time line, meaning the last door could be about him. The next door he entered revealed a room filled with armors and weapons. Most of it seemed aged or damaged beyond repair, but he came across a bag which seemed in much nicer condition then his own. Link removed his few belongs, and picked up the new bag, intending to transfer his items into it. As he picked it up, a small note fell to the ground. Link picked it up, and opened it.

"To whoever may find this pack

This pack has served me well in my journey, and I pray it shall do the same for you. The bag was gifted to me from a helpful witch I rescued. She gave me the bag, telling me that it would hold any and all materials, no matter the size. While I was admittedly skeptical at first, the hag told the truth. Put as many items as you wish into the pack, and it shall never fill. I believe they are probably sent to some odd place, waiting for when you need them. When you open the pack, simply imagine the item you desire, and it shall appear.

Link"

not quite believing the note, Link dropped the note inside the bag, and closed it. He then reopened it, and found the back empty. He then imagined the note, and it appeared within the bag. He knew this would be an incredibly useful addition to his equipment, so he slid it over his shoulder and began to explore the rest of the room.

Weapons of all manner lay around the room. Maces, Axes, daggers, flails, but most prevalent was the sword. Hundreds of them lay around the great room, and with each sword, there was a journal detailing it's history. Link stayed in this room for hours, reading tales of the adventures these swords had gone through with their owners. He read that several had special powers. Some could shoot beams of energy if the user was strong enough, others would strike the foe with poison, and still there were more. For every sword, there was an imperfection, most likely caused through battle, that made the otherwise beautiful swords useless. And every journal was signed with the same signature, "Link"

"_How many Links have come before me?_" Link wondered, suddenly feeling small, yet enlightened. He wondered which sword was the youngest, and if his own sword would wind up here someday. He left this weapons room, moving down the hall until he felt he was at a point where information relating to him would be.

He entered a wooden door which bore the triforce insignia, and inside saw a cold, dark room, made of harsh gray stone. In the center of this room was a thin column, which came up to the height of Link's diaphragm. Upon this, there sat one single stone ball, which seemed to swirl inwardly with some black liquid. He touched his hand to this object, and a deep voice spoke into his head.

"So you have come, hero. This sphere will reveal everything about your father and mother, be it for the better or worse. You may not enjoy the things you see, and they may scar you indefinitely. If you decide you do not wish to view this, now is the only time to decline. Once you have begun the process, you cannot go back. Are you sure you wish to see?"

Link pondered for only a moment before affirming that he wanted to know what he could.

"Very well. You have been told." the voice boomed. "I would ask that you sit down, as the visions will not give you adequate control of your legs to stand."

Link sat down, back against the column, and closed his eyes, waiting for the visions that would give him his history.


	10. Chapter 10

A man and woman huddled closely, clothed bundle in their arms. They looked at the contents of the cloth, and then each other, warm tears causing their eyes to glisten like diamonds. A small pale arm extended from the cloth, grabbing softly at the man's stubbly beard, and he laughed.

"Eferrin, we've made a beautiful son. What shall we call him?" The man asked.

"Link...Link seems like the right name." the woman replied, her voice soft and calm.

Then time began to move more quickly. The boy grew to childhood before Link's eyes in seconds. He looked perhaps six, and possessed short black hair, with piercing blue eyes. He stood across from another young boy, both held sticks in their hands. The other boy raised his weapon and tried to swing it down towards the child Link as if it were hammer. Link raised his own stick, deflected the other boy's strike to the side before rapping the wooden object against his opponent's ribs.

"Ouch! Dang Link! You always beat me! Haha! How are you so good!" The boy said, laughing.

"Eh...I'm not all that great. I'm sure if you practice a little more, you'll be right up there with me. You can do it Alec, just try a little harder."

Then time picked up again, and the Link grew to perhaps the age of seventeen. He was dressed in green tunic and cap, with chain-mail hanging under the tunic. He stood at the front of an army of hundreds of soldiers wearing the same materials. arge creatures which seemed like men combined with boars stood at the opposite end of the valley. The armies stood in a valley which seemed cleaved into the Earth by the ax of some vengeful God. The force of Hylians were highly outnumbered, as the monsters seemed to have no end to their numbers. More and more climbed from a pit on the far West side of the chasm. The sky was cloudy, with strikes of lightning erupting here and there.

The Link in the vision turned to the army and began to shout.

"Hylians! Long has our fight against these forces gone on! Many have been our trials! Great have been our losses! But now we stand at the enemy's lair! These beasts! These moblins have wrought destruction upon us time and time again! Shall we continue to stand for it! I shall not! Think of our fallen comrades! Our families! Our Kingdom! We will not allow these pigs to leave a scar of pain and evil across Hyrule! We will protect Hyrule! We will Protect everyone! We stand united against this enemy, and we shall not falter! Come, my friends, and show these pigs the strength of our resolve!"

The army let out a strong cheer at this, and ran against the advancing army of moblins. Link was exceptional in battle, dispatching countless enemies. The boar-men rushed towards him, and he slashed at them, slicing their throats with the glowing tip of his blade. He fought ruthlessly and relentlessly, and their army began to push the pig men back. Squeals filled the air as more and more moblins fell against the Hylian's blades. Green blood covered the ground. Link was rushing through enemy forces, leaving behind a path of moblin bodies. The way he fought was unreal. His weapon was only glints of lights, and enemies fell before him as though the mere sight of him was enough to end their lives. His armor was spattered with the blood of a thousand foes.

Hours passed, and the forces of both moblins and Hylians dwindled. The final moblin fell, with only perhaps a hundred Hylians left. The pit the moblins had swelled from was now empty, allowing the men to pass. They entered slowly, with Link at the front. The walls and ramps were made of dark dirt, and they descended maybe two hundred feet before they reached the bottom. They were greeted with a giant door which had a symbol on it that Link recognized as the triforce. The Link in the vision strode towards the door fearlessly, raising him palm towards the door. Then a pulse shot forward from his hand, like a ripple through the air. The heavy door blew apart as if bashed by a humongous battering ram.

In this room stood a beast Link could have never dreamed of. It stood 20 feet tall and wielded two wicked yellow scimitars. Ebony hooves crashed against the ground like cymbals, and grungy tusks protruded from the monsters head. It was much like the moblins, only much fiercer, and much bigger. The darkness of the tunnel aided in how intimidating it was, disallowing anyone from getting a clear view of it's other features. Link walked towards it, sword in hand.

"Ganon! We have come for you! You will not escape, and you will no longer ruin our fair kingdom! Tonight, You die!" He shouted, and began sprinting towards the monster.

It lifted it's snout to the sky and unleashed an ear-shattering roar. Balls of flames began to fill the air, summoned by Ganon's fury. These raw balls of heat hurled themselves towards the Hylian army in bursts. Link flipped over one gargantuan ball gracefully, then continued his advance towards the great beast. Several Hylians did not finish the charge, blasted by the balls of furious heat.

Link got within several yards of Ganon, and fell to the ground to dodge an attack by one of Ganon's swords. Within in a second, he was back on his feet, dodging Ganon's attacks. He leaped over the monster's slashes, keeping his forward momentum all the while. Ganon raised a hoofed foot and stomped it back upon the ground, sending out a shock wave, which pushed Link onto his back. He was dazed for a second, his vision a plethora of stars. Through the light, he glimpsed one of Ganon's curved blades plummeting towards him. He gasped, and rolled across the ground, just hardly dodging the evil sword as it sunk into the dirt. A cloud of dust rolled out from the impact point, temporarily blinding the hero.

Then a hoofed foot was coming down upon him. Knowing he had no chance of getting away, he raised his sword, blade to the sky. The demon's foot came down upon it, driving the saber straight through the tough hoof.

Ganon roared in pain and rage. His foot rose again, but the sword stuck in the hoof, dragging Link along. Link tried to rip the sword from the hoof before the foot came down again, and only just accomplished it. He then climbed up to the top of the hoof with the grace of an acrobat. He climbed, grabbing hold of the shaggy hair with his right hand, driving his weapon into the flesh with his left.

Link's comrades had finally made it to Ganon, and were sending a hail of burning arrows towards his head. Several lancers drove the tips of their lances into his hooves, sending cracks through the ebony. Ganon roared once again, and waves of flames sprang from the ground, incinerating the remains of the Hylian army. Their bitter howls of burning agony slammed into Link's ears like a choir from hell.

"NOOO!" Link shouted, holding a hand out towards them, feeling useless as he watched his friends and brothers in arms burn before his eyes. Tears sprung to his eyes, as he saw their faces contorted in pain. His panic was clear until he saw one young face, bravely facing him from the flames. The young man mouthed the words, "Keep going".

Thus Link kept on climbing with a grim determination about him. Finally he reached Ganon's head, and sawed off one of the giant's tusks. Ganon let loose a scream of hatred, and grabbed Link, tearing him from his face. He threw the hero to the ground, knocking the wind from his lungs. Link shouted out as his back spasmed from the force of impact. He tried to draw air in desperately, but only a small amount of air squeaked into his lungs.

Ganon lumbered towards him, each footfall causing the ground to shake, and chunks of dirt from the ceiling to fall. Link finally managed to breathe, and forced himself back to his feet.

"Damn you..." Link muttered. He then brought both arms back so that the hands were behind his shoulder blades. He then extended his hands forcefully to the area just over Ganon's head. The same pulses that had decimated the door rippled through the air before plowing into the earth above Ganon. The whole of the ceiling groaned, and then the epicenter of Link's magic collapsed, driving the bestial king of thieves to the ground, trapped under the vast mound of dirt.

Link exhaled his breath sharply, and ran up to Ganon, slamming his sword right between the monster's eyes. One final roar of pain and anger erupted from Ganon, and then he grew silent, and his body fell still.

Time was again a blurring, quick motion. Link stumbled to Hyrule Castle, received thanks for the royal family, and was offered the rank of high general. He declined, and said he would retire to the countryside. As he exited the saw a woman who was ineffably beautiful. A woman with platinum hair. He began to converse her, and time slowed to a regular pace.

"Excuse me, but I was wondering if you could tell me your name?" He asked smiling.

"Um...It's Cara. You?" She replied shyly.

"I'm Link. It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Link? As in, The hero of Hyrule Link?" She asked in awe.

"I'm afraid to say that is the title they've given me." He answered modestly.

The girl began to turn the color of roses.

"Oh! Well, um! Thank you! F-For all you've done for us!" She stammered out.

"Ya know...if ya really want to, I'm sure I can think of a way for you to repay me." He said, grinning cutely. "How about a date, eh?"

"A-A date? With you?" Cara asked, shocked at his statement.

"Yep. With me." He said calmly. He then took her hand, and whisked her off to the city.

The two grew closer and closer, eventually marrying. Exactly one year after they were married, Cara became pregnant. Months after a messenger came to their door, informing Link that they king needed his help desperately. Link went to castle town, leaving Cara alone for what should have been only a few weeks.

When Link arrived to the capital, he was informed that a group of insurgents had begun rebellion on the Eastern border of Hyrule. They'd set up a small headquarters in the midst of a great forest. Link went to resolve the situation, and found the rebel base deserted. After spending days searching with no results, he returned to report to the king, angered by this wild goose chase.

The king sat upon a grand throne in the large receiving hall. Two thrones were there, one for him, and one for his queen, who was not here for some reason. At the King's side was an advisory, dressed in robes as black as midnight.

"My king, there were no rebels at base. Hell, there was not a soul to be spotted ten miles from that place." Link said, hiding his frustration.

"That's certainly...odd. Do you think they could have moved their base?" The king asked.

"I searched in all directions. There was nothing.

The King sighed.

"Well, I guess they left. Either way, I'm positioning more soldiers in the area. Thank you Link, and I'm sorry for the waste of your time. You're free to go. Oh! Say hello to Cara for me, old friend.

Link turned to leave.

two days later, Link stood at the end of their drive. The moon was out, and cast an eerie glow about the place. The cottage was dark, and seemed oddly still. Despite this, Link was truly excited to return to Cara, his darling. He entered the house, and shouted a greeting. No response came.

"Cara! You here!" He called out. Still no answer. He entered the small kitchen, and retched at what he saw.

Blood. Blood everywhere. It coated the walls in messy swaths of red. Deep puddles had hardened and solidified onto the floor from being there for so long. And sitting against the wall, covered in the blood, was Cara. He rushed to her, and kneeled beside her, feeling for breath. For some Godsend. For some miracle that might make her alive. There was none. Her face was covered in bruises and dried tears. Her stomach had been beaten savagely, and Link noticed the torrent of blood which had pooled around her crotch.

"No..." He whispered. Pain gripped Link more powerfully and wholly then at any point in his life, and let out tears of purest anguish. He gripped his wife's body, and held it close to him.

"I'm sorry...I'm so sorry! I should have been here! I should have protected you! Please...I'll do anything, Just give me a second chance!"

Then a chilly voice behind him answered.

"I can show you the way to reversing this."


	11. Chapter 11

Link turned around, hand touching the hilt of his sword. He was greeted with the sight of a young man in black robes. His hair was jet black, and his eyes were the color of amethysts. It took Link a few seconds before he began to comprehend what the man had said. Bypassing the usual questions one asks a man who has entered your home unannounced, Link blurted out,

"How? How do I fix this?"

"The price to turn back time is a costly one, but if your will is great enough, and your heart strong enough, you may." The man then reached into his robe, pulling out two items. A slender dagger, and a vial filled with a green tonic. "you must cut great gashes across your arms, then pour this mixture onto your arms. The mix is of dark magic, and the magic will give you the strength to bend time to your will, for a very short period of time."

Link looked at the man for a brief moment, before ripping the knife and vial from his fingers. He cut two deep cuts along the inner part of his forearm. He then pulled out the cork of the vial with his teeth, pouring the green liquid onto the cut. It hissed as it made contact with his skin, bubbling like it had been dropped on a burning surface. The mixture then disappeared into his bloodstream. Link repeated the process on the other arm.

Pain then tore through Link's body. He struggled to his feet.

"You've poisoned me!" He growled, drawing his sword.

"No, not at all, My friend! Did you expect shadow magic coursing through you to feel pleasant? You now have the strength to save your wife and child. Will yourself to the time!" The dark man shouted.

Link thought of the moment the guard had knocked upon their door, and forced himself to that time. A purple slit appeared in the air in front of him, like the cut of a razor blade. The gash then spread open, revealing a swirling purple void. Link dove through the portal.

The room was no longer dark, but bright and filled with warmth. Cara was lying against him, dozing. Excitement coursed through him, pushing the pain of the magic aside. He wrapped his arms around her and held her tightly. She looked up at him, confused.

"Everything okay, darling?" She asked.

"More then okay, my dearest." He said, eyes shining with joy. Cara then began to grin, and climbed on top of his, so her face was level with his.

"What's on that mind of yours, huh?" She asked, mischievously.

"I'm sure you have no idea." he said truthfully.

"Oh...but perhaps I do." She replied winking. He hand then began to snake down Link's face, his neck, his muscled torso, and lower. Link smiled in mock surprise.

Then a knock came at the door. Cara sighed, and dread filled Link's stomach. She groaned and rolled off as he sat up, and went to answer the door. It was a knight of Hyrule.

"Link, His royal majesty, the king, has summoned you to the castle for a mission that could upset the balance of the kingdom." The knight said in a formal tongue.

"Tell the king that my family is in great danger, and I can not desert them at such a perilous time. I apologize deeply, but if he sends knights to the headquarters of the rebels, he'll find none."

"Uh...what?" answered the knight, any semblance of formality gone.

"I am unable to inform you of details, but deliver this message to the king. It should only take you two days to make it back the castle, perhaps three." Link commanded.

"Um, very well Sir!" The knight answered before leaving the home. Link returned to the bedroom with Cara, laying down on the bed.

"What was that about?" She asked.

"Oh. Just a man of the kingdom, requesting advice for a possible military operation. You know how that king can't make a move without me claiming it's safe." He lied.

"Link, You've always been a horrible liar. Tell me what's going on?"

"Fine...It was a knight, asking that I go and check out a group of insurgents in Hyrule. I declined, saying I'd rather be with my family." Link said. A look of confusion came over Cara's face.

"Well, why didn't you go?" She asked.

"As I said, I'd rather be here."

"All right, dear heart" Then the look of confusion turned to one of devious attention, "Now...where were we?"

The assassin broke into the house two days later, in the dead of night. Link was lying in bed with Cara, sword leaning against the bed. He had not slept since he had come back to this time, and dark rings had come under his eyes. As he was starting to fall into sleep, he heard the front door open, marked by the hinge he had arranged to squeak whenever the door opened.

Knowing the time had come, adrenaline fueled Link's body, and he sprung from his bed, grabbing hold of his blade, as he flew out of the bedroom. Cara jumped in surprise at her rude awakening, and called out to him, asking what was happening, but he did not answer.

The assassin was garbed in tight-fitting black clothing, with an upside down triangle symbol painted blood red on his chest. His face was covered, nose down by a black cloth mask. Black cloth threads bound down his dark hair. He was four feet from the bedroom door, and his eyes widened upon seeing Link. He drew two daggers from his belt, throwing one. Link swiped it down in mid air, and rushed the assassin.

Link started attacking the murderer furiously, and the assassin went on the defensive. It's blade moved lightning fast, deflecting every strike Link made. The assassin leaned in, and cut Link across his ribs. Rage and frustration filled Link, and he held out his hand. A pitch black beam of energy appeared and left Link's hand. At the last second, Link weakened the strike, which otherwise would have removed the killers head. The blast struck the assassin in the skull, sending him flying backwards, through the front door, and out into the night. Link rushed after, diving, and landing on him, knee driving right into his solar plexus. Link ripped the mask from the man, only to find it wasn't a man.

A woman with pale hazel eyes glared at him, short brown hair now clung to her face. She was gasping for breath, and Link moved his knee, but remained pinning her against the ground.

"Who are you!" Link shouted, spit flying from his mouth and peppering her face.

"I am...I'm Selness" She gasped out.

"Why are you here!"

"I was assigned to kill the wife and child of the hero of hyrule." came the answer.

"By...who?" Link said quietly, placing deadly emphasis on each word.

"My tribe...the Eckren...We are a tribe of assassin's that dwell in the forests. I'm the finest." She said with a sick sense of pride. "We got a request days ago to slay your family."

"Who gave the order. Who told you to kill everything I love?" He asked roughly The woman looked away, uncomfortable.

"You don't want to know." She said clearly, her air now back. Link brought a hand to her throat and squeezed tightly.

"If you don't tell me, I'll squeeze you until you pop like the ugly blemish you are!" He then let go, and she coughed and sputtered.

"Fine...Fine...Fine..." She looked away again, before saying, "If you must know...the one who gave me the order to kill your family was Richard Lyrhue"

And then Link's jaw dropped. The name was woman had said, was the name of the king of Hyrule.


	12. Chapter 12

Anger and hurt pulsed through link, and he raised his blade, driving it through the woman's throat. She sputtered, and specks of blood erupted from her mouth like a volcano. Link leaned in close.

"You get what you deserve." He whispered harshly, right before the shine went from the woman's eyes, and she passed. Link stood, and stormed back to the house.

"Cara! We need to go, now!"

Confusion and shock filled her face, but she did as she was asked, packing several things. The couple left the house, heading North. After an hour of walking, Cara worked up the courage to ask the question that he been on her mind since Link had rushed out of the bedroom.

"Link...What is happening?" She questioned quietly. Link grimaced and then answered.

"The person that broke into our house was an assassin. She was hired to kill you and the baby. Hired by the king."

Cara gasped in shock, and grew silent. inaudible tears began to form in her eyes, and Link wrapped an arm around her. She asked why such a thing would happen, and he had no answer, but he intended to find out.

"Dearest...You will stay at my brother's house. I am going to castle town to get answers. It is a small place in the countryside. The royal line hardly goes there. You must raise our child, and live." Tears began to spill from her eyes, and she clung to her love. Link brought his hand to her chin, and lifted her head so she was looking him in the eye.

"Cara, my beautiful blessing, do this for me, for our love. That boy shall be the physical proof of our love, and I could not live to see him or her, or you hurt. Even if I am killed in castle town, it will be to protect you. They will think the assassination successful, and I was acting in revenge. I will say you two are dead. And should I die, you must never forget, that I am always with you, and with our child. Right here." he said, poking her chest, over her heart. "No matter what happens to me, my life has been a blessing, because I got to spend it with you. No one can make me disbelieve that. I love you Cara, and I always will...Now go, and continue North." Link told her warmly, as he wiped away her tears.

And so she left, leaving Link alone in the cool misty night. He then began to head toward castle town.

2 days later he arrived, walking into the capital city. He was welcomed by the guards, and he greeted them with false cheer. If his desires were granted, he'd have this kingdom ripped apart. Link walked quickly to the castle, noticing a high amount of festivities. Confused, he pulled aside a guard, and asked what it was all about.

"Oh! Sir Link! You were unaware? How embarrassing, haha! The king's daughter, Lady Schala is to be wed before week's end. The capital is positively in an uproar!"

"I see..."

"Sir, if I may, you don't look so good. In fact, I'd probably say you look bad. It's like you haven't slept in days, and there's a certain...darkness about you." The guard said slowly, as if he were carefully choosing each word. Link smiled at him, and the creases in the man's face disappeared.

"Yes, I'm afraid it's been a busy few days. You know what it's like with a newly born, eh?" The man began to grin exuberantly.

"Ah! Sir Link! I was unaware the baby was to come so early! What have you and Lady Cara named it? Is it a boy or a girl! Oohh! So exciting!"

"She's a fantastic little girl named Hannah." Link lied flawlessly. "That's why I'm here. The king requested, no, demanded I come and accept a payment to help with the child."

"Oh our king, such a generous man!" the guard exclaimed. Link frowned inwardly, but agreed that you'd find no kinder man. He then left the happy guard, moving on towards the palace.

He met no resistance while in the castle's walls. To all he was a hero, a savior. Little did they know what he was planning. He threw the doors of the throne room open with enough force that the walls shook as they thick wood struck them. Link saw the king seated in his throne, dark-robed adviser at his shoulder, and a variety of servants. The king's face fell in shock at seeing Link, and he looked at his adviser. Everyone in the room was staring at the intruder.

"Everyone out, aside from me and the king. We must discuss highly confidential things." Link said. No one made any move to exit. Fury flashed through Link for a second, "OUT! NOW! EVERYONE!"

Everyone aside from the king and his adviser fled the room. Link glared at the ruler of Hyrule, and the king shifted awkwardly under his gaze.

"So...er...Link, What bring you He-"

"You know damn well why I'm here Richard." Link broke in. "Do you wish to tell me why there was an assassin sent to my home? Do you wish to tell me why my family is dead? Do you wish to tell me why that assassin told me that you hired her?"

The king looked at his adviser once again, before looking at Link.

"Link...I assure you that I have no clue what you are talking about. Sit down, and have a nice cup of tea. Uh...Ariel! Come bring us some nice tea!" He called out. A girl with deep red hair peaked her head in the room. Link did not look at her.

"Yes M'lord." She said in little more than a whisper, then closed the large door once again.

"Richard, You know that I shall not be fooled. I must know why you did this to me, and I will get my answers, through force or other means." Link said, moving his hand to his sword.

"I did it to save the kingdom!" Richard shouted out quickly, eyes welling.

"You...You what? How could the death of my innocent family possibly protect your damn kingdom?"

"You see the adviser at my shoulder...He came to me one year ago, bringing me great prophecies. Every one came true. And then he informed me that a great evil would soon act upon Hyrule. That Ganon would return in the form of a human. This man, Ganondorf, would possess the triforce of power, making him vastly more powerful then anything you or I could imagine."

"What does this have to do with my baby?" Link asked angrily.

"This has happened before...Ganon and Ganondorf are impossible to remove completely from existence. Each time two other people have risen, with the triforce of courage and wisdom. The adviser informed me that if one link of this chain were to be broken, then the other two would simply not exist."

"Again I ask you, what does this have to do with my baby?" Link said once again, filling with rage.

"Don't you see Link! Your child would possess the triforce of either courage or wisdom! By removing it from existence, Ganondorf and the third triforce holder would not exist! By killing your child, you save all of Hyrule."

The door opened, and the red haired woman entered, a tray holding three cups of tea. She set them down on a table, and exited, hoping to bring as little attention to herself as possible.

"You're a damn fool. By killing my baby, all you've done is stolen the hero that Hyrule would need. You've damned your kingdom to destruction!" The pain of the shadow magic was burning inside Link like molten metal.

"No! That's impossible, my adviser told me!" The king shouted. Link drew his sword and began walking towards the king. "Link! No! What are you doing? Please, Please don't!"

Link brought his sword across the king's neck, forcing the head from it's body. Link glared at the adviser.

"You...Why did you tell him that?" Link growled.

"I told him that so that you could save your family, hero." said a familiar voice. "That way we could fill you with magic of shadows, that will corrupt you. You will be one of Lord Ganondorf's favorite soldiers, I'm sure."

"W-What are you talking about?" Link asked, the pain increasing.

"The black magic is no doubt close to turning you. The pain will surely be too much, and you shall surrender to Lord Ganondorf's will. My lord is stirring, do you hear? And his return shall be glorious. Soon, he shall be risen. The darkness which grows in you shall soon consume you completely, and then you'll be nothing but a puppet to Ganondorf."

"Who...Are you!" Link shouted with feral anger.

"You mean you don't recognize me?" The man said as he pulled back his hood, revealing jet black hair and eyes as purple as amethysts. It was the man who had appeared at his home and given him the potion. "I'm Alnahim, the demon's who has stolen your life."

The pain reached a new high, forcing Link to his knees. Purple energy began to swirl around him, expanding and morphing. Link shouted, his voice cracking from the exertion. Alnahim grinned at him evilly. Link noticed his teeth were filed to points. He could feel his consciousness slipping away, feel the darkness closing in, forcing him to lose himself in it's vastness. He did everything he could to hold his being.

"Submit to the power of the darkness!" Alnahim shouted, his voice grating on Link's soul.

The darkness closed in, and Link fought. It conquered several parts of his mind, but still he fought it back. When he had finished the battle for his soul, he had lost much, but still retained some image of his past self. His noticed his skin had grown pale, much different from his prior tan. His hair hung in his eyes, also white. And oddly enough, his clothing had turned from green, to a black tunic.

Alnahim stood grinning.

"Now you are ready to serve our Lord." He said with dark excitement.

"I serve no lord" Link said as he drew his weapon and cut it along the demons ribs. Alnahim looked completely shocked.

"How? How did you not submit!" He shouted, grabbing a wooden staff which had been leaning against the back of the king's throne.

"I lost some battles, but the war was mine." Link said, noticing his voice sounded as though two men were talking. One voice, his own, the other, dark and rasping.

"Then I shall take the absolute victory, and force you to submission!" He shrieked as he pointed the staff at Link.


	13. Chapter 13

"You will die Alnahim, you know my power is greater than ever before." Link said. Alnahim never responded, simply leaping into the air with his staff pointed at link. An orb of darkness formed on the gnarled tip, which fired towards Link. Link spread his arms apart, allowing the blast to slam directly into his chest.

Upon coming into contact with the dark hero, the energy simply absorbed into him. Link then jumped into the air, cutting down the demon. Alnahim fell heavily to the ground with a sickening crunch. Link landed lightly next to him. He put the tip of his blade to his enemy's throat.

"Where will Ganondorf be birthed?" Link asked bestially. Alnahim only laughed before fading away into darkness. Then a scream pierced the quiet. The red-haired girl had looked inside once more, and had seen the body of the king, and Link, sword in hand. She ran from the room, shouting for someone to get the sages.

Link gave chase to the woman, dark energy swirling around him. Servants ran in fear from him, and guards stood before him, only to be brushed aside like rag dolls in a hurricane. He realized he felt a thrill through his killing. More and more fell to his blade, but something in the back of his mind ached, like it was fighting him. Then he realized he couldn't remember anything. How was he here? Why was he here? What had happened? He sat upon the corpse of a castle guard, beginning to ponder. He remembered something very important had brought him here, but what had it been? Then it came to him.

These people had killed his family. Tore them from the realm of the living. And now he had been turned to a monster. Well...if he were a monster, why not act as one? He noticed he was seated in a cathedral. Stained glass windows covered the walls letting in pillars of rainbow light. Porcelain white pillars were arranged aesthetically around the room, and a pair of regal wooden doors stood far from him. He could sense someone coming. He sniffed the air, confirming the existence, and stood, drawing his sword.

The doors opened, and seven wise people entered. 6 men and one woman. The sages. The head of their order looked revolted and saddened to see Link, and the carnage he had wrought upon castle town.

"Link...is that really you?" He asked, eyes wet with tears.

Link only looked at the man, twirling his sword in preparation for battle. After a minute, Link nodded.

"Then it's true...You've fallen to darkness..." Then the old man's face grew angry. "Why? Why have you deserted us! You were Hyrule's greatest hero! And now...now this! You've killed your king, and brought terror back unto the land!" Hot fury pierced Link's heart.

"He is no king of mine, Wise-man!" The elderly man gasped at Link's heated response.

"He was the king over all Hyrule! And you killed him pointlessly! You now seek to rip apart the kingdom you helped save? How could you? You are no longer human...You are darkness, no more than a shadow." The sage shouted.

"I've had enough of your speeches...What is your intent?" Link asked.

"We will destroy you, monster." The man answered somberly.

"Go ahead and try."

Then two of the sages, the woman and a tall man ran from their ranks, dashed towards Link. The woman was armed with two daggers, and the tall man, an ax. The man jumped into the air, raising his ax overhead. Link raised his leg and hammered it into the man's stomach, flinging the man through the air like a toy. He struck a wall, and the sound of his body crushing against it was repulsive. The woman looked at the man for a second, before turning to link, clear hatred displayed on her face. She yelled with animosity as she rushed towards Link, knives raised. He reached past her block, and grabbed her around the neck. Her eyes widened in shock as he picked her up, and snapped her neck. She went limply instantly.

"This is all you can manage Emerick?" Link said as he tossed the girl casually to the side. "Surely you must have some toys not so easily broken."

Link then took his first true look at all of them. There were only five now, seeing as he'd killed the man and woman. There was the head of the order, Emerick. He was old, perhaps 85. A white beard covered the majority of his face. Directly behind him was another tall man with black hair and black eyes. He held a savage looking flail in his right hand. To the left of Emerick was a shorter man who was dressed in impressive armor. The light glinted off of it in a manner of ways, forming a sort of kaleidoscope pattern on the wall. He held a long spear. On the far right was one who held a simple book. He was skinny, the least threatening of all them. And finally, there was a young man with a bow.

The man with the spear began to calmly walk towards link.

"You've fallen to darkness, and your death shall be a gift to the whole of Hyrule." The man said in a deep baritone. He then twirled his spear, aiming the tip at Link. He attempted to jab at the warrior garbed in black, but found his effort completely unsuccessfully. Link moved around his thrusts like water, cool and flowing. Finally, Link grabbed the man spear, it's razor tip in his hand. He squeezed until black blood began to spill down the silver metal. He then raised his sword, bringing it down on the wood of the spear, snapping the tip off.

"I was never a fan of spears. You can really only do effective stabbing. A sword is far more versatile. That information may have come in handy if I'd let you live." Link said as he forced his blade through the man's chest. He withdrew his blade, and kicked the man's body away from him.

"Who's next?" He asked with a wolfish grin.

All the remaining sages bolted at him. The skinny one opened his tome, chanted a phrase, and flames sizzled around Link. Several arrows flew at him, which he somersaulted over. The tallest man came in close, and attempted to brain Link with a bash from his mace. Link caught in, and tore it from the man's hand. He turned and kicked the man like a horse, planting his heel to the man's nose. He fell over limply. Emerick then closed the distant, with a thick gladius populating his hand. Link toyed with the old man for minutes, all while dodging the arrows and magic of the remaining sages. Their blades dances with each other to the beat of an unknown melody, flashing, colliding, sending out waves of sparks and a ringing clang.

"Damn...you..." Emerick grunted, sweat beading on his brow.

"Is there a problem, oh wise sage?" Link asked mockingly. "Surely you aren't growing weary."

Link smack the dull side of his blade against the man's ear, and he fell to the ground in pain. He snatched an arrow from the air and threw it back at the archer who'd launched it. It struck him in the shoulder, driving him back several steps as the arrowhead lodged itself within him.

"You imbeciles pose not a threat to my power. I am more powerful then any of you can begin to envision." Link calmly stated. "Surrender yourselves to me." Emerick glared up at him, face covered in sweat.

"We...will never...give in to...your darkness..." He panted out as he stood, clutching his sword with renewed inspiration.

"So be it." Link sighed. The old sage ran towards him, and tried to hit Link as quickly as he could, but Link held his ground, effortlessly blocking each strike. Minutes passed of Link toying with the man, before he let his sword rend it's way through the elders gut. Emerick fell, grasping him, coughed up blood, and then grinned up at him.

"We...win" He sputtered.

"You're dying you damned fool. The only thing you've won is the race to the grave."

"Look...behind you." The man said as his eyes dimmed. Link whirled around, and saw he was surrounded by a circle of blood. The skinny sage with the book was holding the arrow Link had fired into the archer's shoulder. Link realized he couldn't move.

"What are you doing!" Link shouted at him. The scholar adjusted his glasses before looking Link dead in the eyes.

"I'm sending you to where your darkness shall match the outlying land. A world tainted by evil thousands of years ago. That shall be your new realm. Begone, hero of Hyrule."

Link's image grew more and more transparent as he silently left the world of light. And just before he completely vanished, he uttered one statement.

"I shall return as the lord of darkness, and none will stand against my power."

And finally, after what seemed like years, Link, son of Link and Cara, awoke in the room of stone-tusk temple.


	14. Chapter 14

Link's mind was racing with thoughts. They came and went so quickly, it was difficult to hold a grasp on them, like trying to hold water in spread hands.

"_My father killed the king"_

_ "My father killed Zelda's grandfather"_

_ "The king of Hyrule wished me and my mother killed"_

_ "Ganondorf has had a hand in my fate from before I was even born"_

And then one thought caught in Link's mind like a fishhook.

_ "My father is in this land"_

The thought was both exciting and terrifying. In his final moments, Link had seen his father become a monster. Pale-skinned, sharp-toothed, red-eyed...Yet he was still the man who had fathered Link. And he was the man who had sacrificed everything to bring him back. Love and distaste filled Link, leaving his mouth with a metal taste.

"Link. You now know your history." Came the great booming voice of the pedestal. "Your father was a warrior, a hero in his right. He was tricked and driven to shadows. Driven there by the thing he cared for most. You, and his wife, Cara. You have witnessed his life, and his fall. And by now, you've surely pieced together that your father dwells in this land. Now I must tell you what has gone on in this land, from the time that he appeared here. Listen young one."

Link was restless, but sat listening to the disembodied voice.

"Nearly 18 years ago he came. All his belongings were left behind, aside from the clothes he wore. Monsters attempted to rip him apart the moment he came into existence. He fought all of them off, and eventually, the beasts began to revere him. The dark beings of this world raised him above all others as the king of shadows. His memory came back to him slowly, before remembering Ganondorf. Immediately, he put work into trying to get back to the world of light. He seeks to destroy Ganondorf, for the strife that he has been put through. The dark corrupted several of his memories...He still believes you and Cara were murdered. His desire for vengeance is great. He will rip Hyrule apart if he enters the world of Light. It's why you must stop him."

Link's eyes widened. He must stop his father, before he would even get the chance to know him. Was his destiny truly to defeat his namesake? He could not do it. He would not. His father had sacrificed to save him, he would do the same.

He stood and dusted off his tunic. He ran from the room and the voice bellowed,

"Link! Wait!" But he paid the voice no heed. He had to find his dad and save him. To purge the darkness from him. Link stood at the end of the stone hallway, looking around. One door was left untouched. It seemed to be the only area that could serve as an exit. He gripped the doorknob and stopped dead. A sense of dread entered him, filling his stomach with warm lead. He stood like this, hand gripping the door, for minutes. The sense of foreboding did not leave him, or even lessen. Link knew that whatever dwelt within this room was of great power.

Finally, Link shoved the door open, disregarding the cries of protest in his mind. The room was cold; there was at least a ten degree shift. Link's hair stood on end. It was dimly lit, so one could see outlines, but no definite shapes. He noticed that steps raised into the center of the room, and a large chair sat there. Though he could see nothing, his senses told him there was someone in that chair. A voice pierced the darkness, assuring Link.

"Who has come before me?" The voice was multi-toned. One voice deep, yet reassuring. The other was raspy and dark. "You look familiar...and yet I do not remember you. You look wholly unalike the other monsters of this land. You look...human."

Link simply stood. Could this truly be him? Could he actually be in the same room as his father? Some part of Link had already grown deeply attached to this man. This man he still had not seen. Then Link spoke.

"Allow me to see your face."

And then the dim torches on the walls flared, covering the room in light. Link was shocked by what he saw. A white-skinned demon sat upon the throne. Hair of silver hung from his head, and deep black runes were etched upon his face. His eyes glowed blood red, and he was cloaked in a black tunic.

"Do not look upon me so, Hylian. I used to be the same as you. Now tell me, who are you, and why have you come to my realm? Has that damned royal family realized they need me?"

Link swallowed hard, while trying to think of the right way to phrase everything.

"Damn boy! Are you mute!" The shadow-Link yelled.

"I'm sorry. It's simply that my message is difficult." Link replied quietly.

"Out with it. Humans have such a way of delaying the point."

"Well...I guess what I need to tell you is...I'm your son." Link spat the final three words out in rapid succession. Shadow-Link looked upon him with a look of confusion. The look slowly changed. Eyebrows narrowing deeply into a V. The face morphed into complete rage. Suddenly Link was against the wall, with the black-clothed man's elbow jutting uncomfortable into his throat.

"My family was murdered seventeen years ago. The king of Hyrule ordered them dead. I killed him, and for that, I was sent here."

"Except they weren't killed! You saved them. Saved me and mom! How can you not remember! You took a potion from that servant of Ganondorf. Alnahim, or something!"

"LIES!" Dark-Link hissed into link's face. He grabbed a hold of Link's throat, and threw him across the room. Link slammed into a stray pillar, splitting it into several pieces. He hit the ground, and his back roared with agony. "My family was killed! My family was murdered by the people I saved and protected! You cannot fool me!"

Link stood shakily, his right leg nearly buckling under his weight. He grabbed the hilt of his sword, and pulled it slowly from the sheath.

"Uncle always bragged about how this sword belonged to you. Surely, it's proof enough." Link said. Dark Link looked at the weapon, and his eyes widened. He looked at Link, and then back at the sword. Confusion swum on his face for what seemed a millenia. Then all confusion left his face, and a look of smug confidence replaced it.

"So they're deceit has gone this far? To take my sword, and give it to some boy who slightly resembles what my son might look like. They should have thought better of it though. That weapon is the thing I needed to break back into Hyrule." Dark Link rushed forward at blinding speed, and drove his leg into Link's gut. Link flew backwards again, crashing into the wall. His sword fell from his grasp, clattering to the ground. Dark Link walked forward slowly, a smug grin on his face.

"I suppose I should thank you, boy. You have guaranteed my return to Hyrule. I loathe to monologue, but I suppose you at least deserve an explanation. As I'm sure you know, there are the two dimensions. The worlds of darkness and light. When I remembered Ganondorf, I remembered he was truly to blame for the death of my family. So I sought for a way to exit this dark realm, knowing that at any point, he could rise up, and obliterate the world. I could honestly allow him to do so, but that would bring about a significant issue to my plan for revenge. I researched long and hard. And I finally found, that I would need a special sword to tear a rift between dimensions. The base for the legendary blade? My own. Which of course posed a problem, considering it was in the light world. But now you've brought it to me! How grateful I am! Now I must only grab the three special ores from their resting places, and I will be able to forge the Umbra blade. Then, I can accomplish my quest."

Then dark link turned away from his true son. He raised one hand, and sent a beam of shadow, decimating a wall. As he left the room, he did not see the single tear slide down his child's cheek.


	15. Chapter 15

Harsh emotions wailed within the hero's heart like the winds of some ungodly storm. The slightest of tremblings began to shiver through his body, and he forced them to stop. Hot tears sprung to his eyes, and he clenched his eyes shut, willing them to leave him. He rose slowly, gripping the cracked wall he'd been slammed into. Harsh thoughts rang through his mind. He'd tried...He's stood before his father, and had not been recognized. Had the darkness truly warped him this much?

He limped to a table to his right that was covered with scrolls and tomes. He dug around a bit, and picked up a relatively thin volume. Link opened the book, and saw they were research notes.

"beginning research on possibilities of breaking banishment. I've interviewed several beings of this land. Rumors apparently exist that precious metals are the key."

Link turned several pages.

"I've discovered that three special alloys are required to bridge the gap between worlds. Ignis rock, which can only be found in the Goron Kingdom, North of here. The other is the glacies crystal, found in the realm of Zoras in the distant East. I believe they would most likely place this in their training grounds. Finally, the Orbis stone, in the forgotten city, right in the center of the dark world. Best possible route would be obtaining the glacies crystal, then the Orbis stone, then the Ignis rock. The Zora's are loyal to me, and will easily provide me with the glacies crystal. The forgotten city should be abandoned, but rumors of apparitions do provide me to take a minimal degree of caution. Then...the damned gorons simply won't bow to me. They've managed to halt my monsters at that pass of theirs. I will be able to take them out, but it will take time."

Link turned until he reached the last page that had writing on it.

"The final key to the light world is my sword. Entry to the light world is wholly impossible. The people of Hyrule will be destroyed...Damn me and my inability to control myself that day..."

The final line rocked Link. Why would his father care about the suffering of the people of Hyrule? Had his apathy been a facade? So many questions circled his head, but he could not bank on the possibility that his father was truly good. He would have to thwart his attempt to gather the alloys. He knew he could not defeat Dark Link, at least not now. He would have to obtain some of the materials, and then continue his quest to obtain the segments of the final piece of triforce. Thus, he decided he would go North, to the city of Gorons. He would obtain the Ignis rock, and then gather the scattered pieces of triforce. And he would see what he could do to save his father.

But at the moment, he was weaponless, and there were no adequate weapons in this temple. The armory he had visited had been filled with flawed and broken weapons, all useless. He wished he could find a weapon, but did not want to waste time. Finally, the decision was made that he would rely upon his fire and ice crystals. Thus, he set off towards the northern mountains, with no sword in hand.

Days later, Link came out of the dark desert into the dying grasslands of the dark-world. High mountains dotted the horizon. It had been tough-going through the desert, but Link had made it out with no major injuries. Hours passed on his journey, with the mountains growing ever so slowly. He eventually came to the base, and was awed by the immense size. Death mountain was tiny in comparison the these towering gray mounds. Huge, monstrous birds flew around the snowy peaks. They were far to steep to climb. Link would have to use the pass that had been mentioned. According to his map, he would have to travel North-East. He was eager to meet these "Gorons" who had managed to hold off vast armies of monsters.

▲ ▲

Link carried good pace, and made it to the pass after two days. The great mountains that surrounded the Goron kingdom sloped downward on either side, producing a 20 foot wide area of traverseable terrain. The pass was probably about a thousand feet long, and halfway through, a large wall was erect. Aligned in the center of the wall was a gate. Large rocks were scattered along the ground. Link approached the wall, looking at the battlements wearily. He half-expected archers to slip out of hiding, and let loose a hail of arrows. But that never happened.

He came to the steel gate, and grabbed it.

"_How am I supposed to get past?_" He thought. He banged a fist against the gridded gate in frustration.

"Can't anything ever be easy!" He shouted to the empty world. "It's always, 'Link! You must go and save the world. But to save the world you have to go find the magic triangles, 'cause we're too lazy to do it ourselves! Oh! But to get the magic triangles, you've gotta go to the evil shadow of this world! But to go there, you must boldly go to the most dangerous places in all the land. That will allow you to go into the other world, and go to the most dangerous places there! But to get to the most dangerous places in the land, you have to get past some giant desert, or some damn gate! To open the gate you must learn to fly! But to fly, you've gotta climb a mountain, and slay 800 dragons, and eat their hearts in the form of a stew! If it's more of a soup, too bad! Kill 800 more! Once you are able to fly, you can go to the city of Gorons, and get a piece of rock that YOU DON'T EVEN NEED TO GET!"

Link was panting with the length and force of his rant. He turned around and stopped in his tracks. He looked at the sky, as if asking the goddesses why they hated him.

The rocks that had been along the path were now moving. The rolled about, and then revealed themselves as humanoid beings. They were shorter than Link, coming to maybe his shoulders. They had thick, heavily veined arms that fell nearly to the ankles of their short burly legs. Their heads were round, coming to a sharp point at it's top. Large bellies protruded from their otherwise solid frame. They stared at Link with black circular eyes.

One of these rock-creatures strode towards him. This one was taller then the rest, rising to just half a head shorter then Link, and had ash colored hair that blew black from his head like flames. He had several black symbols tattooed to his body.

"Who're you? And why're you here?" He asked. His voice sounded as tough as slate.

Link briefly explained the situation.

"So yer lookin' for the Goron race? Ya found 'em. My name's Narid, head of the military front of the pass. Now look, We usually don't let anyone pass through that gate. But, if yer tellin' me the truth, this isn't a time for custom. I'll send ya to the goron capitol with an escort." The large goron then turned, facing a group of others talking amongst themselves. "Ekron! Get over here!"

The largest goron turned and lumbered over to them.

"Yes boss?" He asked.

"Yer gonna take Link, and the two of ya will head back to the capitol. Take 'im to the royal court."

"Sure thing boss." Ekron replied dumbly. Narid then turned towards the gate, and walked close to the bars. He rolled himself up, looking like a rock once more. He then vaulted himself into the air, and slammed downward, causing the ground to shake violently. The shining bars of the gate began to recede into the earth, and Link and Ekron walked through the thick wall. Once they had made it several feet beyond the other side, They felt the ground rumble once more, and heard the bars climb towards the top of the gate.

The path came to a close, and the pair found themselves in the midst of an enormous valley. Link felt as though he had been set in some enormous soup bowl. Mountains stretched up, fiercely battling the sky, in all directions. In the center of this valley, one mountain rocketed towards the heavens, dwarfing all others. The ravine seemed 100 miles wide at it's widest point, so Link figured this large mountain to be 50 miles away.

"That's our kingdom!" Ekron said enthusiastically. "Our king lives their!"

"_King of gorons?"_ Link thought skeptically.

"If you were not here, I would just roll! I'm real good at rolling!" The big goron said with a touch of pride. Link asked him what he meant by rolling. The goron then rolled himself up, taking up the guise of a rock. Then, he began to roll forward. Slowly at first, but steadily gaining more and more speed until Link could see sparks leaping from the places Ekron made contact with. When he reached about a mile away from Link, he turned and headed back. It took him roughly 3 minutes to make it there and back.

"See? Rolling!" He cried at Link with a large smile. Link returned an awkward smile, and began jogging towards the large mountain, goron following.


	16. Chapter 16

Gilded silver door stretched impossibly high up the mountain. Link wondered why such a short race would create such a monstrous door, but dismissed the idea. Creatures are vain things, always building in an attempt to disprove their weakness. He shifted his pack, and pushed the doors open. They opened surprisingly easily for such large things.

The interior of the mountain was well lit by the numerous torches that lined the walls. Goron folk meandered about the wide expanse of tunnel. Hundreds of tunnels branched off of this one, and Link imagined many more branched off of the branches. He longed to explore the caverns and examine the details of the city, but he was tasked with a burden that did not allow him the time. He looked towards Ekron, and motioned for him to lead the way. Many pudgy gorons stopped, giving Link a stare. The citizens were clearly put off by his otherworldly clothing and appearance. Link could not help but notice that these gorons were much less physically adept then the ones he had sighted at the pass.

He followed Ekron through the streets of the Goron city for approximately an hour before they came to circular door made of gold. Ekron rolled himself up, as Narid had, and slammed himself upon the ground. The door rolled out of the way, and the pair entered.

The room they'd entered was relatively small, perhaps 40 feet long. A very plump Goron sat upon a large chair of gray stones. His chest was tattooed with an emblem of a crown. On the floor next to him sat a basket filled with granite, rubies, and sapphires. As Link entered, the big goron reached one hand into the basket, grabbing a handful of rocks, and shoving them all into his mouth. He crushed them between his teeth with a horrible crunching sound that made Link wince. It sounded as though all his teeth were being cracked.

"Who is there?" The Goron asked. Link turned to Ekron, hoping he would speak for them. He saw his companion had sunken to a knee, and was kneeling to this goron.

"Rise goron, and answer my question."

"Yes King. I am Ekron, from the pass an-"

"-Are things all well at the pass!" The goron asked with clear worry in his voice. Link was mildly surprised to see that this seemingly lethargic, fat individual was the king.

"Yes king. Li-"

"Well, then why are you here? And why have you brought a stranger to our kingdom?" the king questioned.

"um...which one do I answer first?" Ekron asked, scratching his headspike.

"Either..." The king sighed, rubbing his temples.

"Okay! This is Link. He came from another world! Anyways, he needs the ignis stone so that shadow-Link can't break into his world. The boss told me to come with him, so I did."

The Goron king looked at link, his eyes filled with questions.

"Ekron, leave our friend and I. We have much to discuss."

"Okay." Ekron replied happily. He then turned and left, leaving Link and the king alone.

The king reached down to his basket, fishing out a ruby the size of a grapefruit. He munched on it for a moment, before opening his mouth.

"So, you're here for the ignis stone?" He asked. Link nodded.

"Generations ago, the goddesses provided my ancestor with the Ignis stone. It's been passed down ever since then. Up until about 30 years ago."

Link sighed, knowing where this was going.

"You see, 30 years ago, my father was on the throne. And there was a shortage of good rocks to eat. He went down to the deepest depths of the goron tunnels, hoping to find good rocks. However, while he was down there something went wrong. The floor collapsed, and he fell to an undiscovered area. The people tried to rescue him, but they could not. Apparently, monsters had infested the area, and we believe my father was killed. Thus, I was put on the throne. Now! You may be wondering, what has this to do with my quest, great king of gorons, to which I say, 'HOLD! FOR I AM ABOUT TO INFORM YOUR UNINFORMED BRAIN!' See, my father was wearing the stone on a chain about his neck when he fell to his demise. So, I grant you the permission to take the Ignis stone, but you must find it first."

Link nodded, rolling his eyes.

"I will instruct, what was it? Ekron? To take you to the area where the collapse occurred. It's since been plugged up, but I'm sure the two of you can find a way around that." The king finished his ruby, and reached for another. "Now, is there anything else you need?"

Link thought for a moment, before something occurred. He pulled his sheathe from his back, and displayed it to the king.

"Oh, you need a new sword? Well, for the information about dark-Link that you've given me, I suppose I can offer you that." The king picked up a thick sphere of gold, and tossed it to the hero. Link caught the ball, it's weight pushing lightly into his stomach.

"Take that to the Finnic's blacksmith on the South side. He will set you up with a fine weapon. Well, go on then."

Link exited the royal room, finding Ekron standing outside the door.

"Hi! Where we goin?" He asked with a big smile. Link began walking towards the direction The king had mentioned. Shortly after, they came to a small shop, carved into the rock of the mountain, as all buildings where. Link could hear the sound of metal striking metal inside. He shoved the heavy stone door open and entered.

The room was dark gray, and a crude counter separated customers from the other end of the room. A hallway extended out of eyesight, and from this corridor, the loud clanging noises emanated. Ekron banged his hand upon the jagged stone counter, producing a hollow noise, similar to that of a gong. The sound of the blacksmith's hammer stopped, and soon a stout goron emerged from the hallway. He was built more like the goron soldiers at the pass than the other citizens.

"Ya called?" he said, his voice low and rasping. Link held up the orb of gold, and handed it to the Goron. He looked at it and a grin split his face. He threw the ball into the air, and opened his mouth impossibly wide. The golden sphere landed in his mouth, and the goron swallowed it whole. He looked back at link, smiling widely.

"What's yer price kid?" He asked. Link handed the goron his scabbard.

"Ahh, ya need a blade, huh? Well, Finnic here'll make ya a blade ta be proud of, lemme tell ya." Finnic said, jabbing his thumb into his chest as he said his name. With that, he disappeared back down the corridor, and Link could hear him rummaging through several cabinets. He soon heard the clangs of metal beating metal again.

Link paced absent mindedly while his new sword was being created. Ekron crouched on the floor, looking like the boulder Link had believed him to be just a short while ago. Link was planning his route throughout this world.

First, he'd recover the ignis rock from the gorons. He would then make his way to the fallen city, and obtain the Orbis stone. From their, he would head back west to the tribal temple one of the temples containing a piece of the triforce. Then he would go North to an un-named temple and get the second piece of triforce. Then South to the tower of Nem. From there, he'd head North into the Zora's realm. If he could take the glacies crystal, he would be sure that Dark Link could not enter the light world. And perhaps he'd find something...healing there. Something that could save his dad.

Link had been so deeply enveloped in thought that he'd not heard the blacksmith stop. The goron had returned to the room, holding a sword surrounded by Link's scabbard. Finnic tossed the item to him lazily, and Link caught in one-handed. He drew the blade and was greeted by a razor sharp sword. Link slashed the air several times experimentally and then sheathed the blade, satisfied.

"Ya know what, kid? That's tha best damned blade I ever made. Can't really explain it to ya, but forgin' it just seemed right. You're getting' top o' tha line Goron forgin' right there. I hope you have adventures fittin' such a sword. Well, off with ye. And if ya ever need more forge work done, Finnic here can set ya right up." The goron was smiling with evident pride as Link and Ekron exited the shop.

"Now where we go, boss Link?" Ekron questioned. Link told him to head towards the place that had caved in years ago. Ekron looked at him with shock.

"But, boss Link, There are monster there." He said. Link shrugged his shoulders, and began walking.

"Wait for me boss Link! Hey! How do you even know where you're going, huh?"


	17. Chapter 17

An unspecified time later, Link and Ekron stood in a shrewdly lit branch tunnel. The loud noises of the city had faded away, being replaced by pristine silence.

"We here" Ekron muttered, wrinkles lining his tan face with worry. He crouched down, and began to sift through the loose rock powder that covered the floor, and it was easy to tell he was not pleased to be here. He pulled away much of the powder, until a brown solid substance was revealed, surrounded by small hills of the white powder. Ekron moved enough of the soft sediment so that a hollow existed that he could fit in snugly. He rolled up, and delicately moved himself into the hollow. His body then tensed for a fraction of a second before launching into the air and pounding back into the ground. Ekron repeated this motion several times before cracks began to run through the sediment.

Link was trying to move away when the ground collapsed, sending him plummeting into an all reaching darkness. He and his goron companion hit the ground unceremoniously, and Link could hear Ekron groaning in the darkness. Link groped around inside his pack, before retrieving his fire gem. The gem roared to life in his hand, sending a red orange haze over the caverns. Ekron rose, rubbing his rear and muttering about the fall.

Link began walking towards a hole in the wall of the room they were in, and Ekron stood, running to catch up with Link.

"Where we going?" He asked. Link informed him that they would stay down here as long as necessary to find the rock. Ekron's face creased with thought, and Link felt he could hear his mind working.

"Boss Link, I been thinking. You want to stop that that dark-Link from getting the Ignis rock, right?"

Link nodded.

"Well, right now it in big mountain city, buried under ton of rock, no one know where it is, and it protected by monsters. Why we try to take it?"

Link opened his mouth to respond, and was shocked to find no answer. Logically speaking, this would be one of the most secure places for it. Monsters, enemy city, heavily guarded pass, hidden cave, with the stone hidden even deeper within. So why was he trying to take the rock? Yet something seemed cosmically correct about it. Somehow, he felt he had to retrieve the rock before his father did. Be it pride or spite, he knew not, but he must get the stone. Thus, he gave Ekron a look which said, "do you really expect me to answer that?" and continued on.

The caverns were winding and vast. Link believed they could construct a whole new district here. Each cavernous room stretched at least 20 feet high towards a ceiling laced with dripping stalactites. From these large rooms several tunnels led to new, undiscovered places. The glow from Link's gem lit each room well enough, but shadows still lingered in the corners. It was from these corners that they could hear the faintest rustling sounds. Link had questioned Ekron as to what monsters had taken residence in this cave, but he claimed no living person knew.

They continued their trek, looking for some sign of the rock, or of life. Link heard a sound from behind the duo, and turned. The rock sediment was trembling ever so slightly, before a small creature burst forth from the ground. It was an odd looking creature. Greenish-blue, though Link's fire caused it's rough scales to shine brilliant orange. It looked like a fish with a flat bottom. It flicked it's head around, and saw the two, and charged towards them furiously.

"DOHAAAAA!" Ekron screeched in fear, jumping and hiding behind Link.

Link drew his sword and sunk to a knee, impaling the creature. It gasped a final breath before it's movement stopped. He put a foot on the animal, and held it down while he softly drew his weapon from it. He turned towards Ekron.

"There was nothing to worry about." He laughed. But he noticed Ekron's eyes were still locked on the creatures body. Link turned around confused, and saw the monster's body swelling. Bubbles were forming in it's skin, cracking the brilliant scales. Link cursed, and began to sprint off, grabbing Ekron and pulling him along. A large roar filled the cavern, and Link dove to the floor. He could feel flames lick the soles of his boots, and the smell of burnt leather wafted through the air.

"_I must be more wary._" he thought, as he pulled himself up. Ekron was a cowering mess, whimpering on the floor. Link hoisted him up, and pulled him along. He tried to calm the goron down by telling him they were hardly ever in any danger, and that from this point, they'd know those fish things exploded when their life force ran out. He finally managed to stop his companions shaking, and was able to resume progressing.

Every so often, more of the fish creatures would erupt from the ground. Link simply ran from them if possible, and if not would take them out and sprint away as quickly as he could. He found he quite enjoyed Finnic's blade. It was a perfect weight and size. The edges were sharp as anything, and he could swing the weapon effortlessly. He felt an odd attachment to it, perhaps because it was a sword that had been crafted for his own hand.

Link was so deeply thinking of his saber that he almost ran into the solid wall of the room they'd stumbled into. He then stopped so abruptly that Ekron, who had been following closely, bumped into him.

This room was different from all the others, in that the only tunnel leading to it was the one they'd come through. There was a cracked wall, and some flowers on the far side of the room, but those were the only distinguishing features. Link thought for a second, and came up with an idea.

"Ekron, I need you to roll into that wall right there. You may be able to crash it down, and get us through."

Ekron grinned brightly.

"I'm real good at rolling Boss Link!" He said as he turned towards the entrance. The tannish orange humanoid stretched before dropping himself into his usual rolling position. He began to roll, picking up speed across the fairly large room. By the time he reached the cracked wall, he was only a blur. He struck the wall, and bounced off insignificantly. The wall remained intact, no more damaged than before. Ekron came out of his rolling position, and stared up at the ceiling, tongue out.

"Boss Link! I see shinies!" he said happily. A bemused expression crossed Link's face. How would they get through the wall? Why did he even want to get through the wall? There were countless other pathways they could follow, yet he was intent on breaking down this wall. He strode over to the flowers he'd seen earlier, and realized they were a fairly ugly flower. Bright green leaved surrounded the huge black bulb. He kneeled down, planning to pluck it, and found it to be extraordinarily heavy. He pulled with all his strength, finally ripping the bulb from the stem. He then heard a peculiar hissing sound. Realization and horror shot to Link, and he threw the flowers bulb away. It erupted in a small flower of flame.

"_bomb...flowers?"_ Link thought to himself. "Ekron, move. I'm going to try something."

Ekron rose, and stumbled, falling against a wall. Link ripped another bulb from the flower, and tossed it at the cracked wall. The bomb flower exploded, and the wall came crumbling down. Light came from the new room he'd just opened. The bright light shot javelins of golden pain into Link's eyes. Then a large, silhoutte jumped from the room, large hammer in hand. it charged towards Link, and swung the mallet towards him. Though Link was surprised, he still dodged the attack with little effort. Whatever was attacking him was at least 2 feet taller. It swung it's weapon quickly for how heavy it must have been.

Link danced around the room, avoiding each swing of the large hammer, though he had not managed to draw his sword yet. He backed up, so his back was touching a wall, and the ogre brought the hammer down, full force. Link dove between it's legs, rolling up. Shrapnel flew from the impact point, and Link heard his foe's growls of pain. He unsheathed his sword and leaped onto the back of the enemy. Link was shocked to find the back of the savage was hard as stone. He did not even try to stab it, knowing it would only damage his sword. He instead climbed the back, and sat on it's shoulders. He reached his hands down, and grabbed it's face. The savage tried to shake Link off of his shoulders, causing one his hands to lose it's hold on it's face. His hand brushed up against some small beads that surrounded it's neck. Curious, Link felt along the length of the necklace, until he felt a ring. His eyes widened, and he jumped off of the ogre's back.

The giant turned towards link, but stopped when it saw that Link was kneeling. Link then looked up and said,

"Greetings, King of Gorons, you have been away for many years, and your people feared you dead. I cry pardon for our initial roughness, but I am in need of your help."


	18. Chapter 18

The silhouette cocked it's head to the side, and issued a questioning grunt. It gestured towards the brightly lit area it had come from.

"Come" it commanded in an intelligent voice.

Link, Ekron, and the former enemy entered the dwelling and the former two were surprised to see furnishings. Three comfy looking chairs were arranged around a circular table, and a small forge was set up in on the leftern side of the room.

"How did you obtain all of this?" Link asked, sitting down in one of the chairs.

"I've built everything you see." Responded the goron. Now that they were in the brightly lit room, Link could actually see the features of the king. He was easily the tallest goron Link had seen, and on top of his head, a tuft of spikes erupted like a crown. Long, braided gray hair fell loosely from his scalp, and he was heavily muscled' his biceps looked to be the size of Link's head. He reclined into one of his chairs, which creaked at the addition of his high weight.

"Now, you say you need my assistance. What for?" The king asked.

"Much has happened in your absence, Goron King. A...demon...has entered this land. He comes from the world of light, which is a wo-"

"I know of the worlds of light and dark. You need not explain to me." The king interrupted, almost apologetically.

"Very well. This being used to be the greatest hero Hyrule had known. But he was fooled, and fell into the dark. The great sages then exiled him to this world. He has come to reign surpeme over all the land. The only region of the land that does not kneel to him is the Goron Kingdom."

"We're a fine race..." The king broke in. He then looked at Link. "I'm sorry. Please go on."

"He demands three precious items. And one of them is the ignis rock. It matters not how proud your race is...he will be able to singlehandedly steal it from you. I've seen him in action." Link shuddered as he remembered his first encounter with his father. "So, I came here in order to get the ignis rock before he did. However, I came to find that the stone has been lost. Thus, my companion and I entered the caverns, hoping to find the rock. And then we've found you, the king who kept the stone around his neck." Link finished.

"Well, that's all well and good, but I think you're gonna have a tough time getting the rock." The king said, after a brief pause.

"Why is that?" Link questioned.

"thirty years ago, I fell into these caverns, with the rock around my neck. I wandered for a while, in no danger of starvation. Fantastic rocks were everywhere. I eventually came to a room that was incredible hot. Small pillars were in the room, and in the center was a large platform. This platform led back into a cave. I leaped onto the platform, and was about to enter the cave, when that overgrown lizard attacked me. It burst from the cave, like a Keese out of hell. I did all I could to attack it...but it's might was overwhelming. It caught me, and told me all it would do. It said that in time, it would destroy my kingdom, and my people. That it would ravage the land with ten thousand years of fire. It was only then that I managed to break an arm free, and bash the beast with my hammer. It dropped me, and I ran for my life. I could hear it's roars of fury, but it did not follow me. I can't say why it didn't. I was far away before I noticed the rock wasn't in my possession. The dragon has it." Ended the king as he drew in a deep breath of air.

Link looked at the floor and exhaled for nearly a minute. Then he looked back at the Goron king, and then to Ekron.

"Well...where was this dragon?" He asked. The larger Goron looked at link, puzzled.

"You...aren't thinking about actually going and fighting that thing, right?"

"I don't have much of a choice." Link answered.

The king sat in silence, contemplating for a moment. He opened his hands and tightened them into fists, staring at them. Then he looked at Link, with a look of determination and surety.

"I'm coming with." He said. Link thought momentarily of telling the king to stay, but knew from that look that it was pointless. Instead, he nodded his approval. The king then stood and walked to a wall covered in weaponry. He stared at it, and then grabbed the bow and quiver from the wall. He turned to Link, and handed them to him. He turned back to the wall, then to Ekron, who was still staring at him. Looking back the wall, finally grabbing a couple of weapons. In one hand, he held a large wooden mallet, and in the other he held a dual bladed battle ax. He held both out to Ekron, who reached a trembling hand out towards the battle ax.

Gauis then walked to another wall, and grabbed a hauberk and a red tunic. He tossed these to Link.

"Put them on." He demanded. "The hauberk will give you added protection to claw swipes and bites. The tunic will provide added resistance to heat. You'll need it."

Link drew off his own tunic, revealing his lean torso. He dropped the green tunic and cap into his magical bag, and replaced them with the deep red ones. With that done, the massive rock-man nodded and began to speak.

"This dragon will be unlike anything you've faced. It is incredibly powerful, and could most likely roast us all without a second thought. Hence, the new weaponry. I think, at this point, we should probably introduce ourselves."

Link blushed at his blunder of forgetting to tell the new ally his name.

"I am Link, of Hyrule. My companion is Ekron, of your own kingdom." Link said.

"Very well. And if we are to be allied for any period of time, I'll not have this regal nonsense. You may call me as my birth name, Gaius."

"You are well met, Gaius." Link said. "Now, Show us the way."

Thus, the trio set off into the darkness of the caverns. Gaius led them through the caverns for hours, clearly an expert on the layout. While they walked, Link toyed with the boy Gaius had gifted him. It was firm and strong. He wondered how the goron had created a wooden bow in the caverns, but decided to push the thought from his mind. The arrows were made of the same wood, with sharp iron arrow-heads affixed to the tops. Dusty feathers were placed on the bottoms, to help with aiming.

Link had practiced archery extensively with his uncle, and was sure of his ability. His uncle had used to set up bulls-eyes of differing sizes, the smallest being slightly larger than a grape. Link had amazed the children of the neighborhood by nailing all the targets dead on. A smile came to his face as he remembered simpler times. It didn't seem so long ago he'd been so tired of his life as just another farm-boy. Yet here he was, daydreaming of that life.

He noticed that Ekron was falling behind, and slowed his pace so the smaller goron of their party was walking in line with him. The goron was looking at the floor as he walked, holding the ax in his right hand. Link could see tiny trembles running through his body.

"Everything all right, friend?" Link questioned brightly.

Ekron seemed surprised that Link had taken any notice of him, and licked his lips for a moment before answering.

"This scary. King Gaius is famous warrior of goron people, and dragon nearly kill him. How I do better?" He said, his voice hitching.

"Well, guess what? I'm pretty much a famous warrior of Hylian people. And King Gaius is a famous warrior of goron people. And when we destroy this dragon, we're gonna have three legendary warriors in our group." Link said, patting Ekron on the shoulder. He'd initially disliked the large goron, primarily for his mental inability, but found he'd grown accustomed to his presence. Link supposed when you're used to traveling all alone, just about any fellow traveler could be a friend.

Ekron's eyes shone, and he looked up at Link.

"Three?" He asked, with almost religious hope in his voice.

"Of course. King Gaius, myself, and Ekron the dragon slayer." Link said positively.

The goron's outlook seemed to instantly change, and a smile covered his face. His pace picked up, and soon they were right in line with the king.

"How far away are we?" Link questioned.

"We're nearly there...ten minutes at most. From now on, we travel in silence." The king whispered. "Our plan is to sneak in, kill the dragon without waking it, grab the stone, and get out."

So the party traversed, with the only sounds being that of their softly clinking armor until they saw the natural glow of flames. Gaius held a hand up, telling Link and Ekron to stop.

They continued on, creeping as silently as possible into the brightly lit den of the dragon. A main pathway jutted from the entrance in a "U" Shape. From there circular pillars were arranged around the room, far enough away so they trio could jump from pillar to pillar, and make it to the other side of the room, where another "U" Shape led into another cavern. In the center of the room, a large circular rock jutted, perhaps 10 yards in diameter. The entire room was fairly massive. The punishment for an incorrect jump was a scorching death, courtesy of the pool of lava which lay below.

Link ran towards the edge of their U platform, and jumped to a pillar on the right. He then jumped towards another one. He was surprised that no worry filled his stomach as he leaped over pools of molten rock. As he landed on the next platform, Gaius followed, and then Ekron. The party continued on as such until the reached the other end of the room, roughly 35 pillars away.

When Ekron finally made it to the final platform, they all entered the nest, and viewed the dragon. It was massive. It was similar in form to a snake, aside from the thick orange bone formation that covered the upper part of it's head. It's thin, daggerlike eyes were closed in sleep, while it breathed heavily through it's large nostrils. One of it's lips curled up and revealed a splended array of razor sharp teeth. Link estimated it was 30 yards from nose to tail. It's body was curled in the center of it's nest, with it's tail draped over it's nose like a feral beast.

Gaius crept forward so he was just inches away, and rose his hammer into the air.

Then the dragon's eye opened.


	19. Chapter 19

It's scaly red mouth opened at an impossible angle, displaying the full majesty of it's fangs. An ear breaking roar burst unto the world. Gaius drove his hammer down toward it's eye, but the dragon moved from it's place, causing the hammer to splinter the hard rock it had been laying on. The dragon uncoiled itself and glared at the intruders. It raised a slim arm and batted them from the cave in a single swipe.

Link, Gaius, and Ekron flew through the air screaming until they landed roughly on the circle platform in the center of the room. Before they could get to their feet, the flying reptile flew out form the cavern. It circled in the air above them, and then spoke.

"I am known as Heryn. Why have you come to my den, trespassers?" It snarled.

Of the three, Link stepped forward.

"Long ago, a rock was dropped here. We simply wish to reclaim it and be on our way." He shouted towards the flying behemoth.

"You can not fool me, little Hylian. Only moments ago, your goron compatriot was intending to brain me. You wish me dead, and to take my precious one." The dragon took a closer look at the group, and roared malevolently. "You! This is the second time you've entered my lair unbidden! You seek to steal my egg, just as your ancestors did long ago. Your king shall never feast upon my kin again!"

Heryn shot jets of bright orange flames from it's mouth towards Gaius. He dove from his spot, hitting the ground. The ground around his previous placement glowed red with dull heat.

_"This is bad..._" Link thought. He drew an arrow from the quiver, and nocked it. He aimed the bow towards the dragon, and let it fly. The bow was more powerful than the one he'd practiced with back home, and Link hadn't expected it. The arrow flew quicker, and soared away, missing the dragon by feet. Gaius cursed, and glared at Link.

"Damn it, lad! You must do better!" He shouted over the roars from overhead. A torrent of flames rained upon them, and link let his bow fall to the ground while he grabbed his shield. He crouched behind it, and the flames ran off of the metal, sending it to either side of Link. When the flames faded from existence, the lone Hylian put his shield back and quickly and grabbed the bow once again.

This time Link was expecting the strength of the bow, and the arrow flew true. It struck the flying beast inches away from it's hind legs. it's roar this time was higher pitched, and link could hear the pain in it. A mane of flames erupted from the crown of the being's head, and Link noticed for the first time how majestic a creature it was. Despite it's fury towards them, it was a fairly beautiful animal. It's scales were the colors of rubies, and it's teeth the color of ebony. Bright emerald eyes beamed at them. He'd not seen a thing as beautiful since he'd entered this world. The knowledge that he must kill it saddened him.

Link shook his head fiercely. He didn't have time to think such thoughts. Another arrow was nocked into the bow, and let go. It whizzed through the air, hissing all the while, slamming into the hindquarter of the dragon. Another roar of agony. It sounded like screaming.

The dragon began ramming it's body into the ceiling, causing huge chunks of rock to fall from above. Link craned his head upward, and skillfully evaded each falling boulder. He noticed Ekron batting them into the lava with his ax. He looked back up, and noticed Heryn racing towards them. A shout burst from his trachea and time seemed to slow down.

He plucked an arrow from his quiver and set it in the bow. He pulled his arm back across his body, pinching his shoulder blades close together. He blinked and then let the arrow fly, with the image of those furious green eyes staring at him burnt into his corneas.

His eyes opened and he saw his eye had lodged itself into one of those eyes. The dragon opened it's mouth and Link feared for a fraction of a second that he was about to meet a death in fire. Instead, the being let out another shriek, and Link could feel the moisture of it's breath. He saw it's tongue and throat. The smell of charred filled Link's nostrils, and then the dragon bared up, just inches from Link. It's unprotected belly was sliding just in front of his widening eyes, and he grabbed his sword. He drew it from it's sheathe and drove it into the dragon's pale stomach. Hot blood spattered out, coating Link. It burned on his skin, hurting him. He recoiled from the shock, and his blade slipped free. The dragons tail then came, and whipped into his chest.

The air all expelled from Link's lungs and he was batted back into the lava. He could hear Ekron screaming as he passed through the air. Time was practically a standstill.

Embers floated in the air like fireflies, remnants of the dragon's flame breath. Ekron and Gaius were staring at him, screaming his name. They seemed distant, like he was hearing them from underwater. The dragon screeched it's victory from the ceiling, and it's gaze bored down at him. He could feel himself closing in on the lava, the heat on his back growing and growing and growing, until it seemed unbearable. Then he hit the lava, and prepared to let pain absolute tear his soul from his body, knowing he'd failed in his quest.

The lava was not nearly as hot as he'd expected. Sure, it was hot, but more like bathwater you've let get too hot, instead of melted rock hot. Then he heard Gaius.

"Link! The tunic is keeping you alive, but it's effect will be pointless in less than a minute, GET UP HERE!" The elderly Goron shouted.

Panic rushed into Link's limbs, turning his blood to ice water. He tried to swim through the lava, but it was too thick. He could only make the slightest of advances towards the safety of the circle platform. And even if he made it, he'd have to climb another 20 feet or so. Seconds passed slowly as he waded through the lava, awkward as a child first learning to swim. He knew he could not make it. And as he accepted that, he heard a loud splash. He looked to where noise came from, and saw Ekron, swimming through the lava effortlessly. Within seconds, he was next to Link, and grabbed him, throwing him onto the platform.

Admiration and gratitude hit Link like a bomb. Ekron had dove into the lava, with no regards to his own safety to save him. Link, the foreigner who'd forced him into this adventure. It was at that moment that Link accepted Ekron as a valiant ally, that he could trust with his life. Ekron swam back to the platform, and climbed back to Link and Gaius, who's face was slack with disbelief. He shook his head, and they all turned back to their foe, who was still gloating about how he'd slain the arrow-sender. Link prepared another arrow and it flew. It struck the dragon in the midst of it's massive cut. The sound of the laughter ceased, replaced by a confused grunt. The dragon looked back down at them, and saw all three warriors.

"What sorcery _is_ this!" The dragon bellowed at them as it dove.. "I'll roast you all!"

It slammed into it, causing the rock to groan slightly. It was a giant deity, standing over the band. It's neck arced down like a swans, and it shot flames at the group. Link took the brunt, using his shield to deflect the licking flames. Ekron ran towards their foe, narrowly avoiding the wave of fire. He reached the hind legs of the beast unseen, and delivered the mighty ax into the leg of the beast. It howled, and burst back into the air, green blood dripping from it's stump.

"Damn you...You'll not have my only egg!" It roared.

"I told you! We only want the rock! Return it, and we'll not steal the egg!"

"And I told you! I cannot be fooled. Those gorons are to blame for my races extinction. Our race used to be proud and grand, then the gorons came. They stole our eggs, and let them hatch, then butchered our young, all for their soups. They'd grown tired of the rocks that composed their diet, and turned to my race! Eventually, the old ones began to die, and then the young ones, leaving only me, and my brood. And still they stole my eggs, until only one remained. I burrowed into this mountain long ago, for our kind takes long to hatch. Now the time has almost come. Volvagia is almost born! You shall not steal him!" You could hear the snarl in the dragon's voice on the final words of it's statement.

It then crashed back to the ground, swiping at them madly with it's claws. Link jumped and ducked under the bone-white claws. Ekron and Gaius took a more direct approach. Gaius slammed his hammer into the dragons arm, forcing it to pop out of place. The crack of the bone was deafening. Ekron brought the ax down upon the forearm, severing the hand off.

With only one limb left to support it, The dragon fell to the ground. Link expected it to fly off, but it remained in place. The trio walked towards the head, and looked at it.

Tears were springing from the green eyes, and the dargon wimpered.

"I beg you...leave my egg untouched. Just continue eating rocks, like was intended of you...leave my child out of your diet...please..."

"And let another monster be born under our city? I think not!" Gaius boasted.

Loathing entered the dragons expression, and Link flinched in shock of the suddenness of it.

"Gaius, the baby dragon will not be a hassle to your kind. Leave it be." Link said.

Gaius looked at him slack-jawed, and opened his mouth to speak. Then a loud, audible crack filled the air.

"Volvagia is born!" The dragon cried in happiness. "I'll not let you have him!"

It flew from the ground, resulting in the band jumping back from reflex. It zipped into it's cave, and returned outside, holding a small, reddish being on the crown of it's head.

"I shall use my dying breath...to send my Volvagia to another world...another time...It shall grow with hatred towards your race, and will treat your kind as you've treated mine." The dragon panted smugly.

The dragon then closed it's eyes, and a blackish portal appeared in the air in front of it. It pushed the newly hatched dragon into the portal and the portal closed.

And as the portal's final viewable area faded, the great dragon fell from it's place in the air, and into the lava. It sank like a rock in a pond, with a savage smile in it's shining white teeth.


	20. Chapter 20

Link did not feel at home in the large feasting hall of the gorons. Gaius, the former king of gorons had been returned to his people, and they'd welcomed him with much warmth. His son was particularly moved by his father's return. A feast had been called for the return of the king. And, as with most celebrations, it was accompanied by loud noise. Link had hoped to slink off, unnoticed, and rest for the first time since he'd entered the caves 2 days ago. Unfortunately for him, Gaius had demanded Link receive a place of honor, at the head table.

Thus he was subjected to watching Goron fire eaters, jugglers, jesters, and dancers, while special food was prepared for him, the only non-rock eater. His eyelids were heavy, and he sought only the wonder of sleep. Yet, still he toiled through his weariness. Gaius sat to his right, at the center of the huge table. Ekron on his left. Link looked out over the 4 rows of table laced down the room, forcing a smile. All the gorons were shoving large rocks into their mouths, crunching them between their powerful teeth.

Finally, a goron chef brought a plate to him. On it, something which looked like roasted duck sat. the savory aroma wafted up into his nose, and made him painfully aware he'd also not eaten for 2 or 3 days. Accompanying the duck was a generous helping of a peculiar green vegetable. He picked one of these up, and sniffed it tentatively, and, upon smelling the sweetish scent, scarfed it down. The vegetable was crisp and crunchy, and tasted much like the sugarcane he'd harvested back home.

When all was done, Link's belly was full with the meat and vegetable. Gaius crunched and swallowed down the last of his rocks and stood up.

"My citizens!" He cried. "Long has been my departure, but I've returned."

At this, many cheers ran through the crowd.

"And it could not have been possible, were it not for the efforts of two warriors." he gestured towards Link and Ekron. "They valiantly battled against a malevolent dragon with me, and brought me home safely. They have saved our race from this dragon's threat to us all. Thus, I shall give Link that which he came here seeking. The ignis rock!"

Gaius then grabbed the stone from his belt, and link stood up. They shook hands, looking into each others eyes. Then Gaius handed Link the rock, who placed it into his sack, nodding.

They'd climbed up to the dragon's nest again after they had killed it. The stone had been roughly placed within the nest, amid scattered remains of a spotted eggshell. Link had wished to take the mineral, and then his leave, but Gaius insisted on a large ceremony. Link had exasperatedly agreed.

"You're free to stay in my city for as long as you care to, Hylian." The king said after the celebrations had died down.

"Thank you, Gaius." Link said, pressing his open hand over his heart.

"No need." He laughed. "I owe you my life."

The king had then walked away with his son by his side, for a briefing of the happenings of the previous 30 years.

Link decided he would stay in the city overnight, and then would set out towards his next destination, the Forgotten City, which laid in the center of the dark world. But for now, he would relax in the palace sector of the city, and lay in a soft bed. That thought itself had a powerful seductivity to it. But still he had to go do something. As such, he set off to look around the city.

Another hour and a half had passed before he came upon Ekron, walking down one of the tunnels of the gargantuan city. He walked up behind him, and said in a mock regal tone:

"Sir Ekron the dragon slayer, could that perhaps be thee, wandering these nearly deserted street!"

Ekron turned around, a sad grin on his face. Link was astounded to see the goron's dark eyes moist with tears. He dropped the faux tone of voice.

"What's wrong?" He asked in a low voice.

Ekron swallowed a bit, and then looked at Link.

"Soon you leave. No one else like Ekron. Only you. Now you leave. I be alone again. I miss you boss Link." The goron said shakily.

Link wrapped an arm around the Gorons low shoulders.

"C'mon. You're a hero here now. You helped save the king. That's like knight status where I come from. You'll go back to the pass, and all the guys will be proudly talking about how they served with Ekron the mighty. People will like you."

Link's stomach churned slightly. He'd grown close to his companion over the last few days, and it pained him to know he'd continue on without him. But he still had to put on a fine enough display, so the goron would be less pained.

"Besides," he continued. "It's not like I'm gone forever. Perhaps I'll come back before I have to go back to Hyrule."

"You...mean it?" Ekron questioned.

"I can make no promises, but it's possible." Link answered, looking off down the tunnel.

"Thank ya, boss Link." Ekron said.

"Hey now, we're friends. We don't need any of that 'boss' stuff. Just call me Link, all right?"

"Okay Link" Ekron replied, grinning.

"Well, I need to be getting some sleep. I'm heading out in the morning. More world saving for this guy." Link chuckled.

Link headed back towards the royal sector, and made his way towards his way. He collapsed into the soft bedding, and believed himself in heaven. He'd never slept in a bed so soft, and it'd been several hard months since he'd been in even a rough bed. This was a far cry from the hard ground, and he relished every second in it. He fell into a restful, dream-filled sleep, pleased with the successes of the past few days.

The next day Link exited the city of gorons, intent on entering the forgotten city. When he came to the pass, he turned to wave goodbye to the huge mountain which held the city. A juvenile gesture, he believed, but one that seemed deeply necessary. He was fairly surprised to see a cloud of dust rapidly approaching him. He squinted his eyes, and saw it was a goron.

The goron reached Link, and skidded to a halt. The goron unrolled, and link saw the familiar face.

"Ekron! What are you doing here?" Link asked.

"King Gaius said 'go with Link' So I do!" He said, grinning that infectious grin.

Link laughed with relief. He'd not wanted to admit it to himself, but he would have missed his friend. It was comforting that he wouldn't have to make the journey alone. The two turned towards the gate once again, both wearing foolish grins, and set off for their next adventure.


	21. Chapter 21

Travel had been fairly easy for the pair of warriors after they'd exited the goron kingdom. Ekron had received praise from the soldiers at the gate. His grin had threatened to rip his head in half. But, as all things must end, so did the meeting. Link and Ekron had headed off, and had come to the river zora, which they would need to cross to reach their destination, the Forgotten city.

At the moment they were traveling through flat land, covered with vibrant green grass which had it's growth fueled by the rushing torrents of water. They'd not seen much living beings, barring a few strange animals which roamed the lands. Link occasionally used the bow he'd obtained from Gaius, to hunt these things, then cooking them over a fire for dinner. Before leaving, the gorons had gifted him with a vast supply of arrows, all placed within his magical pack.

Two nights passed, and the party set up camp under the safety of a small patch of trees.

"_This world is not devoid of it's wonders_" Link thought, looking at the powerful river that rushed only 20 yards from them. The land Link had loathed when he first arrived no longer seemed so terrible, perhaps only because of the comfort of being accustomed to such settings. He looked up at the sky, and saw the smoky haze that made the earth's ceiling.

"I definitely miss the stars." Link muttered.

"Stars?" Ekron asked.

"Oh..." Link said, "Well, in my world, the sky isn't so covered. In fact, it's clear as water. And in that sky, there are countless flecks of beautiful light. It's like billions of tiny torches above you. They cover the sky, as far as you can see, along with the moon."

"Moon?" Ekron questioned softly.

Link laughed. "Well, when the sun goes down in my world, the moon comes out. It then works with the stars to light the night, so we aren't blind when the sun goes down. It's a truly beautiful sight." Link said, thinking nostalgicly back to late nights with his childhood friends, staring up at the sky, pointing out the endless constellations and things while laying in the soft grass.

Ekron grew silent for a short while before responding.

"Wish I see it..." He muttered.

Link then remembered he'd have to leave this world eventually. Leave his friend behind, and return to his own world. Then he felt a faint tickle at the back of his mind. He focused on the tickle, trying to bring it to the forefront of his mind.

"L-Li-Link?" a voice rang through his head metallically, like speaking through a can.

"Who are you?" He thought to the voice. Then the voice became clearer and he recognized it.

"Forget me already, huh? It's Zelda!"

Link nearly staggered in his place. He'd not heard from the princess since he'd entered the dark world. A slight pang of homesickness pierced his belly.

"Zelda! It's fantastic to hear from you! I thought the telepathy stones wouldn't work across the border of worlds!" He thought fanatically. He then noticed Ekron was staring at him oddly.

"Well...they don't." She started. "I have been using my magic to change them a bit. So mine now can connect to your mind. I've missed you quite a bit." She admitted. Link imagined a faint blush crossing her face.

"I've missed you as well." He said truthfully. "How are things in the world?"

Zelda paused.

"that bad?" Link ventured.

"Yeah..." She said. "how goes things in the dark world?"

Link then opened his mind to her, so she knew all that happened while he had been away from her. She saw everything that had occurred from the great pain of entering the world, all the way to before their conversation began.

"W-wow." She stammered, "So it appears a third faction has joined our war. Question is if he's better or worse than Ganondorf..." She trailed off.

"Either way, he won't get back into the world." Link said darkly, thinking of the monster his father was. Remembering the way he'd tossed Link around like a doll. A seed of shame was planted in his gut, for Zelda now knew of this event. He was tossing the ignis rock into the air and catching it.

"And you've gathered no pieces of the triforce?" Zelda asked him. It sounded almost accusatory to Link.

"I can't say I have. It's been rough going, and I've been trying to stop the ruler of this land." Link muttered within his mind.

"Very well..." She said. "Just...try to hurry. The world is safe enough for now, but I don't know how much longer it will be before Ganondorf begins to spread his entire influence throughout the land."

"Well, I'll just put on my runnin' shoes and gather up all the pieces in a jiffy!" Link said with a grin to his voice.

"I must go...I've been setting up fighting forces in the villages, so they'll be prepared. Good bye Link."

"Goodbye Zelda." He said.

Then her presence in his mind was gone, leaving him to feel partially empty. Such was the inevitable side effect, he supposed. Their mental conversations seemed to stretch his mind to make room for the both of them, and when she left, it took time for his mind to close enough that his one entity fit snugly.

"What that about?" Ekron asked, still staring at him.

"sorry about that." Link laughed. "You see, me and the princess from the light world can talk to each other telepathically. We just made contact for the first time since I've arrived."

"Okay." Ekron said, seemingly uninterested. "Link?" He began.

"Yes?"

"Tell me more about the stars." He said.

Roughly an hour later, they went to sleep, Ekron rolling himself into a tight ball, and Link laying himself down next to the dying heat of the fire.

Link awoke deep into the night, surprised at himself. He was not usually prone to awakening at such an hour when he sensed no danger. He looked around groggily, and yawned. Then he stopped all noise.

A figure, clad in black was standing at the tree staring at them. He wore baggy black pants, with a shadowy cloak, which possessed a hood that masked his face in darkness.

Link half rose, grabbing his sword while he did.

"Who are you?" Link asked.

The figure did not answer immediately, instead just looking at the hero. Link believed he could make out the vaguest shadow of a smirk on the face. He was just about to ask the question again when the figure answered.

"I am one who can give you answers." His voice was smooth as silk. "I am a being from the past, yet not your own."

"Then let us speak." Link said.

"No. Not here." The figure said. He then pointed North, towards a rocky slope. "Near that slope you will find a tunnel. Beyond the tunnel is my domain. And within my domain, you may find several things you seek."

The darkly garbed being then passed his hand through the air, as though he were waving at someone. An inky black orb appeared in the air, and then fulled out. The being stepped through the portal, and disappeared. Moments later the portal followed suit.

"several things I seek?" Link asked himself. To the North had been a piece of the triforce, the map said. And the figure had said there would be answers.

_"Answers to what?_" Link thought. "_To...save...him?_"

Link knew it must be a trap, but he needed the triforce, and the possibility of a solution to his father's problems was too fine a bait to pass up.

"Very well...tomorrow we alter course and head North." Link said to the cool night air.


	22. Chapter 22

When Ekron awoke, Link informed him of the change of plans. They would instead head North, and get a piece of triforce, as opposed to the original plan of entering the forgotten city. His fellow traveler had initially been confused as to why the sudden change but, as always, came to accept it.

A short while later, the two reached the tunnel the dark figure had told Link about. The rock face wasn't particularly high, but just high enough, and just smooth enough that they couldn't jump to the top or climb it. Therefore, their only option was the tunnel, which opened towards them like a grinning maw, filled to the brim with brown teeth of harsh slate. It was just wide enough for Link's stouter friend to pass through.

They passed on through the tunnel, until the light dwindled down to only the slightest bit of existence, and was eventually eclipsed by distance. Link grabbed for the fire gem, acknowledging it as easily the most valuable of all his belongings, barring his sword and shield. They walked on a ways, and little of note occurred. Link kept his ears sharp for any signs of danger, and did not hear any.

Ten minutes after they lost the last of the natural light, they came to a peculiar glowing substance within the cavern. It stretched from one rock wall to the other as a thin membrane with the consistency of mucus. It was thicker and deep purple on the edges, and more of a lavender color near the center, where it was thinnest. Not knowing what to expect, Link drew his sword, and passed it through the membrane, almost expecting it to perform some magic trick. Instead, the sword just passed through with no resistance. He drew it back out and noticed it had not even left a hole in the membrane. So it appeared to not be a barrier or slime of any kind. He placed a gloved hand through, and felt no great pain. He walked through, and felt an immediate shift. Not a physical feeling, or even emotional. But some sense within his body convinced him something had changed. The feeling was as though Link had been outside on a perfectly clear day, and then rudely thrown into a different day, moments before a powerful storm. There was a thickness to the air that Link didn't care for. Despite this, he pressed on. He heard Ekron cross through the portal, and then his slight groan as he felt the change as well. But his friend complained not once, and for that, Link was grateful.

Minutes later, they were greeted with the smallest pinprick of natural light. The both of them smiled slightly, pleased to know they would both soon be out of the darkness. The pinprick grew steadily in size and shape, until they finally exited the cave. The relative brightness hurt Link's eyes slightly, and he wondered how long it would take his eyes to adjust once he returned to his own brighter world.

As his eyes grew accustomed to the light, he was able to see his surroundings, and was shocked by them. They stood just outside the gates of large city. The tunnel had led them to a sort of bowl formation indented into the earth. the city stood in this bowl, surrounded by thick wooden fence, which stretched around nearly all the city. In the front, there was a wide opening, where two armored guards stood on either end. Link couldn't see the end of the city, but was both confused and excited to see they guards. They looked Hylian.

Link grabbed Ekron and pulled him along towards the city. Link approached the guards, and saw the usual pointed Hylian ears.

"Greetings." Link said happily, pleased to have met another of his kind in this world.

The guard did not return his sentiment, keeping his gaze fixed off towards the distant horizon. Link raised an eyebrow in question, but thought better of trying the guard's patience. He and Ekron entered the city.

The two looked around in slight awe. Link thought this place to be roughly the same size of castle town in Hyrule. His mood was nearly soured by the realization it would take forever to find the figure who'd promised him answers. However, the people pleased him.

Children were playing and wrestling on the sides of the road, and several adults, presumably their parents, were talking in a wide circle, barking the occasional bray of laughter. Link felt a smile begin to pull on his lips, and he felt queerly at home. Wooden buildings lined the road(aside from where the children played). Their storefronts appearing bright in a world of darkness. Soon the feeling of pressure and tension faded from him, and he allowed his guard to drop completely.

"Link." Ekron said. It sounded like a question.

"Yes Ekron?" Link said.

"How we find triforce?" He asked. The inevitable question. Link had dreaded when it would come up, because that would mean he'd have to put the truth in the air, which somehow managed to seem more real then if the knowledge only made lodging within your head.

"We'll have to search for it here. It may take days, but we must find it. Perhaps the locals could give us help."

Ekron looked away doubtfully.

"What?" Link asked.

"What?" Ekron said, seemingly shocked Link had asked anything.

"What was that face for?"

Ekron refused to answer him, and continued walking in silence. Link opted to not push this further, and carried on alongside his friend. They came to wide town square, and looked for anything that could possibly provide them a hint. Everywhere they looked, there were people. Link had never seen a populace so vast. It was at once exciting and terrifying. No building seemed to provide any hints, so link tapped a passerby on the shoulder. The stranger remained walking, without providing Link the slightest glance.

"That's odd..." Link mumbled.

He turned to another pedestrian, a shorter man with a thick brown beard. The man simply breezed past him.

"guess they don't care..." Link said. "we'll have to carry on by ourselves Ekron."

Link walked through the crowded square, goron in tow, with a frown on his face. The two entered a darkened alleyway, which was devoid of any signs of life. They slinked down the shadowy area, slowly, Link deeply in thought. He wondered how he'd be able to find the figure that had come to him last night.

"sometimes the answer will lie right before you." The shadowy being said, shocking Link, who brought his hand up to the hilt of his sword.

He was leaning against the wall, wearing the same dark clothing he had the previous night, wearing the same dark smirk. Ekron was standing in pure shock, completely unaware of who this person was.

"Who you?" asked the goron.

The dark figure looked at Link's companion, back at Link, and then uttered a laugh, dark and clear.

"You know me not, goron. Thus you aren't my concern. Your friend Link here, though, well, he's a whole new barrel. Our meeting has been orchestrated by the fates, he simply doesn't know it yet. See, we've got a bit of dark romance between us. I know what he wants to know, and he can give me what I want to have."

"What is it you want? And what answers exactly do you plan on giving me?" Link said.

"If I told you, it'd ruin the fun, wouldn't it? Ever since I was a little boy, I've had quite the infatuation with magic tricks. See, the fun lies within not knowing. The instant you know how the trick's done, it loses the light of interest. And trust me, I want to keep you very entertained Link." He spoke as if Ekron had ceased to exist.

"What is going on here? Why won't the citizens notice me?" Link questioned, the volume of his voice raising.

"Answers shall come with time Link...or perhaps I should simply call you Jr?" The figure said with a chuckle as he summoned his portal, and stepped through. Link ran after him, trying to leap through the portal, but simply fell through air.

"your initial answer lies North of here, hero." the voice said, the last few syllables softer, petering out.

"What now? Who that? What happening?" Ekron said in a barrage of questions.

"Now we go to North town and try to find that guy. I can't say I know him, even though he claims I do. There are a few people it could be, and I'm not sure enough to guess. Honestly, I don't know what's happening. But there is something going on here, and as cliched as it sounds, I don't like it."

"C-C-cl-cliche?" Ekron said, stumbling over the words.

"Never mind. Let's just go."

The two exited the alleyway, heading North.


	23. Chapter 23

After wandering North for some time, Link and ekron came to another square, and looked upon a massive temple. There were few people in this square, meandering throughout from shop to shop. The initial pleasure Link had felt from being among his own people had all vanished. Instead he felt an odd wariness descend on him. It was as though he was in a city of moving statues, incapable of thought. Incapable of speech. It was unnerving.

Emblazoned upon the grand wooden doors of the porcelain white temple was an inverted tri force symbol, colored a disgustingly deep red.

"Guess that's our start." Link said, walking towards it with a deeply grim expression on his face. Ekron followed him, as he always did. He walked up the stairs, and came to the doors, which he pushed inward, and entered the temple.

Shelves filled with books covered the walls, and tables were strewn around the room with only the barest indication of a pattern. The room was completely empty except for the man in black, who was sitting cross-legged on one of the tables in front of the door.

"So delighted you've made it." The figure said. "Now, let's hold a bit of conversation."

"What's going on here? Who are you. Truly?" Link said heatedly.

"Tsk, Tsk, hero. I can't simply let the cat out of the bag yet. Some answers now, some answers later." The shadow said in a mocking tone.

"Then what will you tell me? You've been worthless so far."

"Have I? I brought you to this land, did I not? I brought you closer to your piece of the triforce. " The figure then laughed. "and I can give you a way to save your dear old father from his madness."

Link's eye twitched. And emotional torrent thundered through him. Relief, happiness, apprehension, suspicion, all blending into a cocktail of the mind.

"H-how?" Link said, stammering for one of the first times in his life.

"Piece together who I am, and you shall have your answer. All the things you will need lie within this, my temple. I invite you to search all you desire."

Link glared at the figure, feeling an intense desire to rip his weapon from his scabbard, and force the answers from this man. He restrained his desires, and began to walk around the temple. He wished he could tell Ekron to help his search, but knew the goron would not know what to look for. Besides, having different knowledge in two different heads wouldn't help them determine the identity of the hooded man. So he searched, while Ekron stared at him.

The first thing that dew his interest was a table that seemed to hold an assortment of weapons. He strolled over to it, and saw a slew of weaponry. Swords, daggers, axes, and so on. One weapon somehow seemed more important than the others. A wooden staff. Link picked it up and immediately felt a sense of dread fill him. It seemed to his subconscious that someone had turned all the lights off in the world, sending it into turmoil. Link grappled with the feeling, forcing himself to remain calm, and not throw the staff to the floor. He looked upon the staff and saw it was now pulsating with a black aura, roughly the color of smoke. Then he was able to identify something locked within the dread that had ripped through his body when he first picked up the staff. Within that vast amount of fear, there was a small pocket of thought, not unlike when Zelda contacted him earlier. Link forced himself to hone in on the thoughts, bringing them to him.

They opened in an a queer manner. They were memories...but not as a typical being has them. They were primal. Simple. Marked mainly by emotion, and sometimes Link would get a picture. However, these didn't give much offer. They were like a painting that had been severely weathered. The first picture that came to him seemed to be in a shadowy room. One word rang throughout the mind of the staff. "_blood_". Then there was a man, on his knees in the room. The image was too weathered to make out the man's face. "_Deceit_". The next image was of the man, except he was only half existent. It seemed as though half of him had been ripped cleanly off. "_Darkness_". Then the images stopped, and were only marked by emotion. Pride, followed by stupor, followed by rage, followed by pain, followed by defeat. Then one final picture. Two deeply purple circles, surrounded by darkness. Then the images and memories ended, and the staff stopped it's pulsing glow.

Link looked at the darkly clad figure, who had moved from his position on the table, to a wooden chair by the same desk. He was sitting with one leg crossed over the other, so that the calf of one leg rested on the knee of the other. He was looking at Link and Ekron, smiling underneath his hood. When he saw Link glance over, he gave a slight wave.

"_Who are you?_" Link thought. "_The answer is in my head somewhere...so who are you?_"

The next table he approached had only a book on it. The book was thinner than some volumes Link could see in the temple, but it still looked fairly thick. He did not want to have to waste such time reading it. Luckily for him, he opened it and discovered that only the first few pages possessed writing. He read through the book quickly.

"world of darkness. Lord sent me here to keep an eye on our investment. His power grows each day, as does mine. My staff continues to grow in power as it uses my memories and emotions. It is directly linked to me. It's an incredible piece of magic. The staff is living, and it's power increases as I feed it more and more. The greatest is that I don't even lose what I feed it. With it, perhaps I can become strong enough to topple our investment. Could I...become strong enough to topple...Lord?"

Link knew he was closer to the discovery of this character. The answer seemed to be right in front of him, glaringly obvious, almost painful. He felt if he were on the outside of all this, he could look in, and know instantly who the hooded man was. However, for some reason, his brain refused to give him the answer. Anger was slowly welling up inside him, and he forced himself to take a deep breath and think.

"_Anger shall get me nowhere. Now...what do I know. I know the man has a powerful staff that's tied to his emotions. Some of the memories of those emotions receive their own picture, like one of the stories Uncle read me when I was small. The first picture is a shadowy room that has blood. A man on his knees. In the shadowy room of blood. Deceit. Then the deceived man leaving existence. Then emotions. Pride, stupor, rage, pain, defeat. The dark man went through those emotions in a rapid succession. What was it he had said? 'I am a figure from the past, yet not mine'? Yes, something like that. So...who do I know that would have such memories. The pictures would make sense if applied to my father. And the emotions would make sense in his battle with the sages. Yet...simple logic can tell __that it's not him. He should be halfway across the dark world by now. So...who else would it be?_"

Link went through mental processes quickly, and one word finally pushed him over the edge, into the realm of knowledge. "Deceit." The man in black was the deceiver. Link turned to the cloaked man, murderous cold in his eyes.

"I suppose you've discovered then?" The figure said, pushing back his hood. With the shadows expelled from his face, Link could now clearly see the jet black hair, and amethyst purple eyes. Before Link and Ekron stood Alnahim, the man who'd turned Link's father to darkness.


	24. Chapter 24

Link glared at the purple-eyed demon coldly and drew his sword. Ekron looked at the one who stood before them, confused. He then looked at Link.

"Who he?" He asked, the last bit of question rising in pitch.

"Shut up, Ekron." Link said through clenched teeth.

Link loathed the demon, despite never having met him before. Had it not been for Alnahim, Link's father would not have turned to darkness. Link had believed the demon to be destroyed. He'd seen him cut down by his father's blade. Yet the monster in man's clothing stood before him, as though nothing had happened. No visible scar was viewable on his face. How could he have survived?

"Alnahim..." Link muttered.

"I'm pleased you finally managed, Link. I was beginning to beget worry that I'd be set here all day. Yet you pulled through. Now, let us hold a conv-"

"I'll kill you." Link said with a horrific grin painted on his face. It was the grin of a shark. That simple expression showed the depth of Link's hatred towards Alnahim.

"You shall?" Alnahim questioned. "What a rude thing to say to the person fully responsible for you. I saved your life, do you not recall?"

Link's mouth hung slightly. He could not remember a single instance where he'd ever seen this man. There was no way he'd been saved by him. Yet Alnahim spoke so surely and confidently.

"You've never saved me from anything." Link said, almost sullenly.

"You forget so quickly. You did enter Stone-tusk, correct? You saw the legacy of your father, correct? You saw how I provided him the way to return to save you and that woman. Were it not for me, there would not be a potion. Were it not for me, there would be no Link Jr. And that is the truth." Alnahim said, smirking at Link's growing anger.

Link was enraged at the truth of the demon's statement. But, while it was true that had it not been for him, Link would be dead. It was also true that if it weren't for him, Link would live. The paradoxical nature of this statement hurt Link's head slightly, and it gave him an odd sense of nausea to imagine the death he'd experienced in a differing time line. He turned his mind away from that.

"You saved none, demon! Were it not for you, No assassin would have been sent to kill my mother, and my father would have had no need to turn to the shadow. No...I died because of you. My mother died because of you. And my father died because of you." Link shouted in furious passion.

Alnahim regarded him silently, one eyebrow arcing questioningly. He was seeing that pain that had dwelled in the boy's heart. A dark grin stole across his face as the boy's tirade ended. He stood up on the table, and spread his arms out open, so he looked like he was preparing to hug a mountain.

"Link. Let us not fall into the dismal regrets of the past. Besides, you wouldn't kill me. Not now anyway." His voice was oddly coaxing.

"Why is that?" Link spat.

"Because of the answers you could get from me. Don't you remember? I possess the knowledge to revoke your father's...disappointing state."

"It looks like now you've forgotten Alnahim. I've seen what your so called 'answers' provide. I saw the cost my father paid. What cost would I pay? I can only imagine what you'd have in store for me. What your damned lord would have in store for the one who holds the triforce of courage."

For the first time since Link had seen him, Alnahim's face looked troubled. It was only a brief flash, hardly noticeable, but Link was sure he'd seen it.

"Ganondorf is no longer my lord. Nor do I need him to be. I am powerful enough to hold myself up without his crutch." Then his face became smug once again. "You're not the only one to hold a certain triangular source of power."

"You mean-" Link gasped.

"Oh yes." Alnahim broke in. He then raised a hand covered in a black metal gauntlet, so that Link could see the back of it. Link stared with rapt attention as he saw a triangle shape begin to display itself on the back of the demon's hand. It was the same size as the pieces possessed by Link, Zelda, and Ganondorf, and was positioned on the top of the pyramid of triangles. The only difference was that It glowed a purple that seemed soft as silk. Link could sense the power that it possessed. Link knew Alnahim was by no means weak in the first place...with a piece of this malformed triforce, Link could only imagine his strength.

"It seems the cat's out of the bag, so I'll go ahead and give you a run down." Alnahim said, beginning to float in the air. "Your father fell almost completely to darkness, but somehow held onto some form of himself. He stormed the castle, and struck me with his weapon, believing me dead, as you know, and you saw. I remember the final question your father asked. 'Where will Ganondorf be reborn?'."

Alnahim laughed.

"My former lord had already been born. He was born before Ganon had even been defeated. He had been born to the gerudo tribe in the desert, and was incredibly gifted. He was the most skilled rider of the gerudo, the greatest thief they'd ever seen. He was ten when I your father asked me that question, and did not know he would become what he is. When your father destroyed Ganon, his spirit still lived on, and sought the proper body. I made the proper spells on the boy and Ganon residence in the body of the boy, Ganondorf. The boy was terrified of course, and tried incredibly hard to fight against Ganon, and put him off for a good deal of years. He finally succumbed, after nearly ten years of struggling against the dark influence. Ganon wasn't pleased at the time it had taken, and was less pleased that your father wasn't a soldier to his will. He cast me into the dark world. I was a very simple creature then, and attempted to convince myself I'd been sent here to watch your father. Incorrect. I'd been banished. When I realized this, I received this piece of triforce." Alnahim finished his speech.

Link could have found the whole situation hilarious, were he not stuck in the middle of it. Link's top foe, Ganondorf, was created by the same person that created the warrior who came in at a close second place, Link's own father. Now, here to take the number three spot was Alnahim. Third place had made first and second. And then had been thrown away by Ganondorf like a bone which has had all the meat torn off.

"So, now what occurs, demon?" Link asked, grabbing his sword and shield.

"we managed to get off the subject of my remedy for your father. No price would be paid for you. I've had much time to increase my prowess in shadow magic, as well as research other forms of magic. You'd be surprised by what all I'm capable of now. Shadow magic, Light magic, shamanic magic, elemental magic. I am capable of all. I am the most formidable spell caster this land has ever known. I've managed to monologue for far too long."

Alnahim drew a vial filled with white liquid from his cloak, and held it up so Link could see.

"This elixir is capable of returning your father's mind to normal. His physical appearance and his affinity to shadow magic can no longer be reversed, but his madness will subside. If you can get this into his system somehow, he will truly remember the events of his life for the first time in over 17 years." Alnahim said, pocketing the vial again.

"Give it here Alnahim." Link said coolly.

"Calm yourself. I'm not through yet. I am aware of the shards of triforce this land holds. The triforce of the light world. It's piece is here as well."

"But...I believed you to possess the triforce." Link said, confused.

"Don't be so daft. I am unfit to bear those pieces of triforce. I am not a being born into light as you or Ganondorf are. The darkness is my true domain. I possess a triforce, but not I do not own the one you seek. It is, however, in my physical possession."

Alnahim then floated towards the right, displaying a small, triangle shaped shard of glowing light.

"Why are you showing me all this?" Link asked.

"Because now you must choose. The vial...or the triforce?"


	25. Chapter 25

Alnahim smiled at Link, his eyes veiled with cruelty. He repeated his question.

"Which will it be? The vial, or the triforce?" His voice was low as usual, but behind it Link could hear his twisted excitement.

To link, of course, the answer was easy. He gripped the hilt of his blade tightly, as though he were attempting to crush it. His eyes were perfect crystals of encapsulated rage.

"I will take both." was his response. With that, he ran towards Alnahim's floating form, who was visibly surprised by this turn. Not so surprised, however, that he allowed himself to be hit. He raised a hand as Link vaulted into the air, and emitted several purple pulsing rings. The center of these rings slammed into Link, forcing him back through the air. He flew back several feet, performing a back flip in the air, and hitting the wall with his feet. He then pushed off, propelling himself like a cannonball towards the warlock. He held his blade out in front of him, so it would slam through the monster's heart, should he make it so far.

Instead, Alnahim shot out another of his dark pulsing rings, forcing Link back once more. This time, Link was pushed to the ground, and skidded to a halt on all fours. He looked at Ekron who was simply standing in place watching this whole thing occurs.

"I could use some help!" He growled as he sprinted back towards the wizard. Ekron shouted in acknowledgment, and crouched down so he looked no more than a common rock, and began to roll at their enemy. Both leaped into the air at the same moment, and were pushed back by those rings. Alnahim had taken on a look of bored exasperation.

"I hope you can do a superior job than this. Your father was much better, even without the influence of shadow." He taunted.

Link shouted in fury, and leaped in the air, sword raised over head.

"You simply won't LEARN!" Alnahim shouted, sending out another wave of rings.

Link was shoved back roughly again, once again hitting the ground on all floors. He looked at Ekron, who had just managed to stand up in the miniscule amount of time that had passed since he'd be sent to the floor. Link thought hard about how to get past those rings, and eventually thought of a way, but needed Ekron.

_"I can't tell him, or Alnahim will see...damn! How can I tell him?_" Link thought angrily. He reached into his trans-dimensional bag, pulling out the telepathy stone he used to speak with Zelda. He held it tightly, and tried to reach out to Ekron. He saw Ekron's spine straighten, as though he'd been whipped, and knew he'd made contact. He told the goron the plan, and allowed his consciousness to retreat from his friend's mind. Ekron looked over at link, and nodded, then dropping back into his rolling stance.

Link began sprinting at the magician, and leaped into the air. Alnahim released an annoyed, 'tut' noise, as he sent out more rings, expecting to send Link reeling once again. However, he'd not noticed Ekron rolling up behind Link. He'd also not noticed that Ekron had leaped into the air. He noticed none of this until the Goron was already in front of Link in midair. Link used the goron's rocky stone back as a way to push himself above the reach of Alnahim's shadow push spell. The goron was sent tumbling back through the air, and hit the ground uninjured. The hero, however, was falling. Falling straight towards him with his sword poised to strike.

Alnahim raised his forearm to block the slash with his gauntlet and forearm guards. A sharp '_CLANG!'_ erupted from the clash of steel, and Alnahim felt all the force behind the strike. He winced with the pain that raced through his arm, but grabbed the hero's wrist with his other hand, and threw him to the floor with the goron. The two half rose from the places, meeting Alnahim's gaze.

"Damn you...that was a brilliant move." Alnahim spat at the two. He then undid his cloak so it no longer surrounded his body, instead billowing behind him as a black cape. Once again, he spread out his hands like he was expecting an embrace. Link heard the harsh crackle of electricity, and was able to smell the acrid scent of it. Two great yellow balls of harsh lightning formed in the wizard's hands, which he moved so they were seemingly locked together in front of him, aiming at the duo.

Link cursed, and shouted to Ekron to run. Ekron began to run to the right, Link to the left, sheathing his sword and shield as he went. Less than a second later, a beam of electricity began shooting out from Alnahim's hands, which he followed Link with. The smell was hardly bearable, and the beam left a black scar in it's wake. Link continued to evade the beam until Alnahim seemed to run out of magic, and began to recharge the spell.

Strategies and counter-strategies soared in Link's mind, as he tried to figure out some way to end this battle, in any way. None presented itself. Link cursed again, absentmindedly noticing his recent slips into a foul tongue. Then Alnahim had finished recharging the bolt, and was chasing Link once more. Link sprinted towards a pillar, and hid behind it for roughly three seconds before it crumbled under the strength of his enemy's spell. That was when an idea hatched in his mind. He continued running around the room, dodging behind pillars, looking as though he were desperately sprinting for his life.

"Are you scared?" Alnahim shouted amidst his gale of laughter.

"_Not quite, bastard._" Link thought with the grimmest of smiles. Alnahim took moments to charge his spell again. Seconds Link knew were too few for him to sprint to him, and strike him down. Instead, he simply remained behind the pillar. Ekron had been attempting to get close to the warlock, but Link zigzagging from pillar to pillar had caused the beam to cross his path each time, and as such, he'd made no progress to the wizard, and had adopted a fairly frustrated body language.

Then Link heard the crackle of lightning hurtling through the air, and waiting for a couple seconds, and began a mad dash to the final pillar. He hid behind it, and Ekron looked at him with arms outstretched. His position said, "_What the hell?_". Link motioned for him to run out of the building, and then the final pillar collapsed, and Link only barely rolled out of the way before the blast zapped him as well.

_"Wish Gaius had given me a lightning resistant tunic._" Link thought half jokingly. He saw Ekron was backing away towards the door, still facing them. That was good. Link was about to join him. Any second this big old temple was going to collapse, Alnahim and all. Then link would be able to climb through the rubble, retrieve the serum, and the triforce piece.

Any.

Second.

Now.

Nothing happened. The ceiling did not so much as creak with the full weight of the building. Alnahim saw Link's angry/surprised grimace, and laughed.

"Surprised, are you? This is all my creation" He said, twirling his arms around, gesturing to everything that was around them. "And I didn't design it all to be destroyed."

This time Link heard Ekron utter a Goronic curse, and smiled, despite the conditions. Then Alnahim was charging his spell once more, the crackling sound and smell of lightning filling the room. He shot another beam at Link, and Link sprinted once more. Ekron was looking around desperately, hoping to do something to help, but could find nothing.

Link was running full on when he fell. The tip of one of his boots had caught one of the chunks of pillar rubble that had been set about by their destruction. He fell, not with a curse in his mouth, not with stupid surprise, but with a deep sadness.

"_Now I'm truly ruined. Before now, there's always been some way out that's saved me at the last second. Now there is nothing. I'll die with my father's cure tucked in the cloak of his worst enemy, and my home to be overrun by my own. Ekron shall die because I dragged him along. And it's all my fault. I've ruined everything."_

_ "_BOSS LINK!" He heard Ekron cry.

"_Damnit...I told you not to call me that._"

Then he hit the ground and felt the massive pain strike him in the back, and waiting for darkness to beckon.

.

.

.

The darkness never called for him. He looked around, and saw Ekron looking at him with wonder. But...not at him. Not his face anyway. It looked like his vision was locked onto the small of Link's back, the source of Link's pain. Link looked backward, and took on Ekron's vision of amazement.

The beam of concentrated electricity had struck Link definitely. It had struck him right in the back, the instant he'd hit the ground. It had hit Link squarely in his shield, which had, amazingly, deflected the blast, sending it careering off of the shield (though hardly visible due to the diminished energy), and into a solid wall, where it struck and burst like an overripe fruit, and dispersed from being.

Seeing this gave Link what he needed. Another plan.

When the energy of Alnahim's spell ran out, Link still stood there. The warlock had not seen the blast deflecting off of Link's shield by some blessing, instead believing he'd missed the hero.

"I'll not miss again." He called, his voice calm.

"_I certainly hope not._" Link thought. He continued to run around the room while Alnahim charged his spell, then when he saw it coming towards him, quicker then sound, he dropped to a knee, his shield out.

"You fool!" The magician laughed. His laughter cut off sharply as the bolt hit the shield, and reflected back at him. It struck him in the chest, sending him somersaulting through the air, his black clothes clinging tightly to his body, his cape wrapping around him.

He righted himself in the air, an expression of pain and anger on his face. Link froze. He'd hoped that would end the demon...yet he only looked to be in marginal pain. Pain that was almost simple discomfort.

"Another fine maneuver." The dark magician said, raising one hand above his head. Once again the crackle of electricity, and then a move Link remembered vaguely, like it was a dream. It was not unlike how Ganondorf battled...or the phantom Ganon, in his trial for Nayru. Intuition seized him, and he reached in his pouch again. He thought of the weapon he needed, and pulled out the large battle ax Gaius, the Goron king, had forged and given to Ekron. It was damn heavy.

"Ekron!" Link shouted, and the goron looked at him in surprise. Link tossed him the ax with both hands, and the goron caught it.

"If he throws the energy at you, knock it back!"

"Okay!"

Then Link heard the ball leave the magician's hand. This one was coming right towards Link. He slashed at it with his sword, sending it back to the hovering magi. He hit the blast with the back of his hand back towards Link and it sped at Link, who hardly had time to bring his sword up in time. He did successfully strike the ball of electricity, but at a bad angle, causing it to veer off course, and slam into a wall. The sound of the energy forming again. Now the ball was heading towards Ekron.

The goron slammed the ax against the ball like Link had when hitting stones with sticks when he was younger. The blast spiraled at the warlock, who sent it back. Ekron knocked it back once more. Alnahim did the same. This continued for several blasts, until the ball was moving so fast Link could hardly see it.

"_How is Ekron doing this? He's not that fast...He must be acting on pure instinct..._" Link thought, in awe of his friend. Then, "_What am I doing! I'm just standing here like a slack-jawed idiot! I need to be getting closer._"

So Link crept closer, little by little, believing Alnahim to be fully concentrated on his match with Ekron. However, when he got close enough, Alnahim sent a jolt of electricity at Link, without devoting so much as a look at him. The faintest beads of sweating were beginning to form on his forehead. This was good.

Finally, Alnahim hit the blast at an off angle, shooting it towards the door of the temple. Link and Ekron both made to rush the wizard, who then raised both hands, and sent two different balls out, one for each. Link and Ekron batted back their respective balls, as did Alnahim. This continued for minutes. Finally, one of their balls slammed home into Alnahim's chest. He fell to the ground, yellow crackles of electricity around him. Link ran forward, and slashed the demon several times, and then kicked him, forcing him onto his back. Link raised his sword, and dropped it into the wizard's stomach.

Alnahim laughed.

"Like father, like son, perhaps." He said. Then dark energy began to encompass his body.

"No! Not this time you bastard!" Link shouted, but to no avail. The demon faded away, leaving behind only a vial filled with white tonic, and a yellow gem.


	26. Chapter 26

"DAMN IT!" Link shouted to the sky, arching his back to look at the ceiling. He stabbed his sword into the ground where Alnahim had lain moments ago. He let out a harsh string of vulgarities in his rage.

Enraged was hardly the term to describe it. Link was so mad he felt he'd burst, and he felt a painful throbbing take hold in his mind. The architect of his father's ruin had been right in front of him, and Link had been unable to vanquish him.

After a few minutes of Link shouting his fury, it turned to nearly infinite sadness, and he slumped down to his knees, suddenly feeling very inadequate. His shoulders rose and fell rapidly, and he came to a revelation that he was close to tears.

"_I won't...I'll not sob like a child..." _Link thought, but could only restrain the tears from breaking from his eyes. Then he felt a firm, heavy hand on his shoulder. He looked up and saw Ekron.

"We see him again." Ekron said sagely. "No be sad."

Then the goron hoisted him to his feet and wrapped him in a hug which threatened to break his back. The gesture and the words touched Link, not completely remedying his sadness, but scaling it to a manageable level.

"Right..." Link said shakily. "Besides, we got both the things we wanted, and a bonus. No reason for sadness."

Link forced a smile, and kneeled down to pick up the two objects which were left behind by his opponent. He held the vial of white liquid lovingly in his gloved hand, and placed it in his pack. He then looked curiously at the yellow/white sphere he held in his hand. He remarked that it looked similar to the gems of fire and ice he had obtained. He clenched his hand around the gem, and willed it's power.

A jolt of yellow, jagged light burst from his hand, and into the wall. Link had half expected the visual display, and as such didn't flinch as the bolt of lightning shot across the room. Ekron however, dove to the floor as the sound of the bolt erupted from Link's hand. Link saw his bulky friend hit the floor, and couldn't hold back the laugh that sped up his windpipe. Ekron, still laying on the floor, peaked his head up at the sound of Link's deep laughter, and semi-scowled at him, before his own laughter came.

And, as simple as that, Link's fury and sadness were exorcised. He strolled over to the piece of triforce that hung stood on the far end of the room. He reached a tentative hand towards it, as if it were a wild animal waiting to bite.

In the short period of time that his fingers extended towards the glowing golden triangle, he could not help but admire it. The inward glow it cast off shone wonderfully, and made this world of darkness seem filled with beautiful light. Link noticed that the triforce symbol on the back of hand was glowing, but the thought was off to the side, like a voice heard from far away. He could almost hear the voice of the triforce beckoning for him to take hold of it. To save it from this desolate, broken land, and take it with him to a world filled with the same sort of light it gave. He could no more turn it down then he could have lived without breathing. His fingers brushed the surface of the triangle, and for one fraction of a second, he felt it was like touching the skin of a goddess. Forged of a beautiful and perfect craft.

Then the triforce exploded into several sphere's of bright, and Link's mouth uttered a short moan of despair. The large beads of light swirled in the air, rising and falling like fairies. They began to circle and run rings around Link, from head to toe, like small winged animals saying hello. Then they rose to his shoulder level, spun around each other several times, and plunged into his hand.

Link instantly felt warmth and happiness fill him, yet it was more then that. The world seemed brighter, colors more intense, but not painfully so. He looked at his hand, and saw that the center of his triforce emblem now had the upper right hand corner filled. The insignia on his hand glowed with hallowed light, so bright it illuminated the entirety of the bleak temple. And deep within, Link felt stronger. It was as if some powerful being had used a great key to open a lock that was within him. He felt incredible, and fought himself from falling into the hubris of thinking himself invincible. Over time, the light from his hand faded to a dim shine, and eventually disappeared.

"_I hope I never need to steal a piece sneakily_" Link thought with a beaming grin on his face.

Link turned to Ekron, and saw his awestruck expression.

"I suppose our business in this area is through. Now we can go back to the original path, and head to the Forgotten city. The next ore should be there. Perhaps we can beat Link there." Link said. In the deeper recesses of his mind, he toyed with the possibility that perhaps he and his father's next meeting wouldn't be so one sided. That his father would get one hell of a surprise. The thought widened the smile on his face.

He turned from his position, and walked towards the door, both he and Ekron smiling brightly. They came to the heavy doors, and Link pulled them open, and walked into the day.

Confusion spread across his face, removing the brightly spirited day. The world was empty. He was standing in a plain covered in yellowish overgrown grass, that appeared as a bowl in the surface of a rock formation. Yet he saw no buildings. He turned around, and saw they huge temple they'd just walked out of no longer existed.

"how..." Link uttered, trailing off.

"Wha..." Ekron said.

Both were confused by this incredibly odd, and rather eerie, turn of events. As far as either of them could tell, they were the only inhabitants of the plain. No buildings, no people, no anything. The effect of the previously heavily populated city leaving existence from nowhere was chilling. Finally, Link opened his mouth with some explanation.

"Alnahim is a powerful sorcerer, it could be he conjured up that entire city simply for effect."

Ekron grunted agreement, though Link could still see the dull fear through his eyes.

"Let's get going. We needn't stay here."

Ekron nodded agreement, and the party began heading towards the mountain pass they had used to enter the plain so shortly ago. A panicked thought occurred to Link. What if the pass was no longer there? What if it had been another illusion caused by Alnahim, and they were trapped within this bowl. The rocks were taller then they were on the other side, meaning they wouldn't be able to reach them, even if Ekron tossed him with all his strength. They were too steep to climb.

All panic vanished from Link when the saw the dark mouth of the cave that would lead them through the mountain. The two entered, and Link tried to not imagine the cave's entrance closing behind them and discovering they'd stepped into the mouth of some horrid titan of granite, and would soon be swallowed in a single gulp like kernels of corn.

No such titan revealed himself, and the duo continued on through the cave. Link eventually used his gem of fire to light the way. He kept expecting to come to that glowing purple portal they'd run into on their initial trek through, yet it didn't come. They reentered the world having never passed through anything. Link had not seen the slightest hint of purple in that cave. He was offset by it, though Ekron hadn't appeared to notice.

They walked through this brighter worlds, towards the broad river that they would need to cross in order to reach there next destination, the forgotten city, where, supposedly, ghostly apparitions ruled.


	27. Chapter 27

The river roared vigorously, the rushing clashing water causing a cool mist to hang about the river. Today was the day Link and Ekron would cross the river. They'd set up camp the previous night, and had enjoyed a night that lacked necessity. Now, they must cross this river. Link was remembering a trip he'd made with his uncle to one of the great rivers that had run through Hyrule. He had only been ten at the time, and was amazed by the force with which the river moved itself.

"_Treat the river respectfully, Link._" Came the memory of his uncle's voice. "_She's a beautiful animal, but if you don't give her respect, you'll end up with one hell of a bite._" Then he'd paused for a moment, and added, "_If you're lucky_".

"Treat her with respect..." Link whispered under his breath, standing just inches from the cold water.

"What?" Ekron asked him.

"Treat her with respect." Link repeated, clearly this time. "When I was young I went to a river with my uncle. We crossed a river like this. He told me to respect the river, or I may get bit."

Ekron nodded understandingly.

"_Ya know...you are certainly a mystery. Sometimes you come off as the biggest dolt on the planet, yet other times you seem to be so understanding._" Link thought of his companion.

"Either way, we need to cross." Link said. Ekron nodded again, and then entered the waters. The plentiful amount of muscle and fat on his goron body helped protect against the cold which assailed Link the moment he stepped into the water. They both waded out until the water stood at Link's waist, and the middle of Ekron's stomach. They began to swim. Link glanced to his right and saw Ekron was moving with no struggle at all. Link however, was having to swim at a rough angle, into the current so that he wouldn't be swept away. The river was maybe 15 yards wide, and they were halfway there. The undertow dragged at Link's lighter body, seeking to rip him under and drown him.

Finally, the two reached the other side, and broke out of the water and stepped onto dry land.

"Well, here we are, Ekron. This abandoned kingdom." Link said, gesturing to the grasslands they were in. "Let's get moving."

They two made good time that day, and by the end of the day, Link could see the tallest parapets of the forgotten city in the very far off distance. So far away it seemed hardly there, but Link knew it was. However, the light was dying, and he knew they must set up camp.

The night was uneventful, and his sleep was dreamless.

The next morning they set off once again, through the field of bright grass. As they drew further and further away from the rushing water the grass began to lose it's brightness, until it finally curled and withered into a yellow/brown carpet. Link hadn't seen a tree since the river had left their eyes. But with the loss of these natural luxuries, they gained their way closer and closer to forgotten city, which loomed in the distance like a shadow.

Soon enough that shadow became a sturdy reality, and Link could see the massive towers that populated the city. They were massive, wholly unlike anything Link had ever seen. Even from this distance they reached up and looked prepared to declare war on the sky itself. He could see it was surrounded by a wall, though he somehow felt it would hassle he and his friend not.

Finally, they came to these walls, and Link was able to see the workmanship of the city. The walls was composed of a grey-white brick substance. Surrounding the walls was a dried up moat, and Link was able to see a multitude of small creatures skittering in the trench. A massive wooden drawbridge linked the city to the outside, and it had been left down in whatever it was that had driven the people from here. Link and Ekron walked into the city cautiously, expecting some ghost, or perhaps Alnahim to leap out and engage them in combat.

No such being appeared.

The two entered and looked left and right in awed silence. The road they were on continued straight into the heart of the city, and stretched far indeed. It was very wide, most likely to allow for carriages and such to pass through with ease. It was lined by widened sidewalks, which, in turn, were lined by cozy looking buildings. They were crafted from the same gray-white material of the wall, though their roofs were made from some odd ceramic material. They were close together, giving Link the impression that they were places of business, rather than places people would live. The lines of business went on for a while, and then would break to allow for another road or alley to branch out. The size of the area they'd entered was jarring. It was much larger than castle town, and was even larger than the city that they believed Alnahim had conjured for his show.

Ekron began to wander down the large road.

"Where are you going?" Link asked him. He had no clue how they were going to find the orbis stone in such a massive domain.

"Got start somewhere." Ekron answered, turning towards Link. He then ushered Link to follow, and turned, starting to walk again.

"_It wasn't all that long ago he was terrified of fighting a dragon. Now _he's _the one leading _me _into danger._" Link thought, no unpleasantly, while rushing after the goron.

* * *

Unknown to the two heroes, the abandoned city was not quite so abandoned. A figure, garbed in black stood atop the massive walls, observing them head deeper into the city. His jet black hair fell to his shoulders, and his purple eyes watched them with a sort of dull interest.

"I sense something here." He said into the wind that ruled at this altitude. "And it's not spirits. I think I'll be watching you two very closely."

And with that Alnahim put up his hood, and began to follow the heroes.

* * *

"Link. Why we try get orbis stone?" Ekron asked. Link regarded him silently for a moment, trying to think of an answer. It was an question that had been plaguing him as well. Why was he so hell bent on getting on all three of the stones? They'd already gotten the ignis rock. That should be enough to end his father's chances of getting back into the land. That was what the logical, rational part of himself claimed. However, the urge to get the three of them were deeper than that. It was like the desire to be with a lover, even when you knew they weren't good for you. Having the three of them was deeply seductive. There was something else, but Link couldn't quite get at it. Like a rock half buried underwater, that he just couldn't quite a good enough grip on.

"I guess I couldn't tell you." Link finally answered the inquisitive goron. "But I just feel like we need to. A gut feeling I guess."

"All right." Ekron said, as though this were all the confirmation he needed.

"_He truly trusts me._" Link thought, proud to have this warrior with him.

"Say Ek-" Link began.

He was cut off by a loud banging noise in the building to their right. Both he and Ekron jumped, shocked at the sudden noise breaking the near silence that had existed moments before. Link drew his sword, and Ekron grabbed the battle ax he now kept strapped to his back. They approached the house cautiously, listening for any other sounds. None came. Link reached his hand towards the door knob slowly, looking at Ekron. He then threw the door open and they both ran in, weapons upraised.

When they charged in, Link had been expecting to find some strange creature, perhaps an odd mutation of rat that stood at nearly head height. Ekron had been expecting to find some horrific undead creature, for this city was famed for it's spirits. Neither had been expecting to see another man, maybe in his mid 20s standing there, holding a bow, nocked with an arrow aimed directly at Link.

The man was tall, just a little taller than Link, and much taller than Ekron. His bow was of a finer make than Link's own, and the arrow that was nocked was as beautiful as the bow. He looked at the two warriors who had barged in with a look that didn't seem regular to have when two strangers broke into the building you were staying in. It seemed almost amused.

"Well, it looks like you and I are pretty much done for if we decide to attack. I shoot you, your friend lays that ax of his into my skull and gets off free. So how about we just lower the weapons?" He said. His voice was odd, in a fine way. It seemed almost musical. The voice was low, but even.

"I think that will be fine." Link said, sheathing his sword. "Ekron, put the ax away."

Ekron put his ax behind his back as the stranger relaxed his pull on the bow, and returned the arrow to his quiver. Link took a closer look at him. He had long, pale hair, extending midway down his back, and fell to just above his chest in front. He had large, almost catlike, green eyes. The man was wearing a black leather vest over a tight fitting dark brown shirt, which had sleeves that extended to just below the shoulder. He wore brown leather gloves with extra, layered, plate-like protection on the backs of the hands, that came to just below his elbow, resulting in a small area of exposed, tan skin between his elbow and the middle of his bicep. He had dark brown pauldrons that seemed to be decorated with the feathers of some incredible bird. He wore a belt that had several things hanging from it. Several knives, vials, and, most notably to Link, a sheathe for some blade which looked three feet long. He wore black pants, tucked into deep brown boots that rose to his knees. He also possessed a cloak that was a not quite random assortment of mottled greens and earthly browns.

Altogether, he looked like a man who knew much about battle in the wilderness, but seemed out of place in this city.

"You don't look like your in the right place." Link said to him.

"I could say the same for you." The man replied with a smile. "Perhaps we can trade stories. It's been far too long since I've had company."

Link heard none of the last statement. He heard none of it, because he had looked at the talisman that was strung on a chain looped around this rangers neck. This man had the Orbis stone, right in front of them.


	28. Chapter 28

"Does something trouble you, friend?" The man asked, gifting Link with an odd expression.

"Er, no, sorry." Link muttered awkwardly, then, in an attempt to change the subject: "Um, so...the exchange of stories?"

"I'd rather enjoy it. You two look as though you've got a few good tales, and I wouldn't mind telling my own." He said, a refined shine in his green eyes.

"Then let's sit. My story is a bit long." Link claimed.

The ranger sat in a wooden chair, and listened to Link's tale.

"I was right. A rather fine tale." He said with a smile.

"And you?" Link asked, gesturing with his hand for the stranger to begin his story. The smile and good humor left his expression, and he looked at the floor for a moment before looking back up at Link.

"My name's Jareth, and I've come here to find my wife. As you may be able to tell by my apparel, I'm more at home in a forest than here in a huge city. We used to live in the dense forests of this land, I'd hunt and defend us from the monsters that roamed through the forest. We were happy as any could be in this land. Then something happened. She claimed that she kept having dreams of a figure, clad in black, beckoning her to come to him. I pushed it off as simple nightmares, yet they persisted. One night, I awoke, and she wasn't there beside me. Some queer burst of initiative took me, and I grabbed my gear and began to track her. Her trail led me here, and through the city and towards one building. There was writing over the entrance, and from what I could make out it read, 'catacombs'. I would have entered straight away, but the entrance was locked. A huge stone stands between my beloved and I, marked by a golden triangle." Jareth said, the emotions of his voice swaying between sadness and grimness.

Link looked towards Ekron, then back to the ranger. "I can open that doorway."

Jareth's head suddenly came up, and his gaze was so intense that Link flinched.

"Then let's go." He said, rising from his chair.

"Of course." Link said, wondering how he could demand the orbis stone. "but...er...about the talisman on your neck..."

"What of it?" Jareth said as he exited the building, Link and Ekron in tow.

"I need it." Link said, blushing. "I hate asking for a payment, but I need it for my own goals."

"So be it." The man said, "You can get my trinket once I get my wife."

The building didn't seem to be all that big, but it reeked of intimidation. High cement walls rose into the air, inlaid with pillars adorned with skulls. Their deep eyesockets glared out at the world with bitter resentment. Over the stone block that Jareth had mentioned earlier, there sat a much larger horned skull. It stared down at the soon to be trespassers in an attempt to send them away.

Instead, Link raised his hand towards the door, which dispersed as it synced with his hand.

"Let's get at it." Jareth said smiling.

The band entered the dark of the catacombs, and were immediately greeted by a repulsive odor. To link it smelled like fruit that had been let ripe for far too long, and he had to force himself to not retch. Link was unsurprised to find it was dark down here, and brandished his gem of fire. Light filled the cavernous tunnels, and he found that almost countless passageways moved this way and that. Despair filled his heart as he realized they could search forever and still not find Jareth's wife.

Then he heard an odd snuffling noise. He looked around cautiously, and saw Jareth was sniffing the air. His head was raised so his graceful nose stuck out into the air, sucking in the scents of this place. He closed his eyes for a moment, drew one final breath, and then started to trot down one corridor. Link was apprehensive about this man's ability to smell anything over the seemingly overriding stench of the catacombs, but figured his guess was as good as any.

He and Ekron ran after him, heading down caves. Lefts, rights, straights all became a blur in the never-ending maze of the halls of the dead. Coffins were set into the walls, and Link tried to steer his thoughts away from the contents. They followed the ranger, maintaining their speed throughout.

After minutes of running through the corpse caves, Jareth turned a left corner and stopped dead. He looked at the new cave with a sort of awed shock, and Link wondered what could have brought such a look. Then he reached the turn, and looked.

The hallway stretched on farther than Link's gem could cast light. Bones littered the floor, far worse than any litter they'd encounter on the run prior to this. Thousands upon thousands of skulls that were dug into the walls. More than Link believed he could count looked emptily from their places in the wall. And most eerie, were the skeletal beings that walked in the corridor.

They clanked around, clutching sharpened bones in their hands link swords. Then one turned and looked at link so suddenly he could hear the bones of the neck pop. It uttered a hiss, similar to a hoarse person attempting to scream. It bolted at them with speed that none of the group could have predicted. Link clumsily attempted to rip his sword from his sheathe, and expected the demon to reach him before he could. Link heard a "Twang!" and it's skull erupted into a thousand shards of bone, falling to the ground. Link looked around, and saw Jareth had armed and fired his bow with precision before Link could even draw his sword.

"_Thank any and all God's he on our side..._" He thought sheepishly.

The sound of the skeleton's skull shattering had brought the attention of it's fellows. Link held his sword and shield, ready for battle. He noticed Ekron was wielding his battle ax, tossing it from hand to hand with a peculiar ease.

A horde of perhaps one hundred skeletons rushed at them. Link dove into the fray, removing the heads of their foes. Many of their movements were slow and jerky, giving Link a fine edge over them. Ekron was by his side, as he had grown accustomed to over the past few weeks. Jareth hung back, sending arrow after arrow into the crowd, delivering swift doom.

Link found himself caught in the great mob, and swung his sword about without fatigue, almost wincing at the sound of their necks popping and snapping at the introduction of his blade's edge. A group of three skeletons charged him, sharpened bones held like daggers. They came within range, and Link backhanded them with his shield hand, sending them tumbling to the floor.

Link heard a velvet-like "_SHINK!_" from behind him, and half turned, seeing that Jareth had drawn his own sword. It was three feet long of hard-blue steel, and Link could tell it was of a fine make. Not as fine as his own sword, but fine nonetheless. Jareth dove into the army of undead with a sort of savage tenacity Link hadn't expected from the calm ranger. Monsters fell around him in droves, and Link could hardly see the movements of his sword.

Link returned his attention to the field of battle and saw that a skeletal being had crept up close to him, and saw that it had an actual knife raised over Link's head. Link cursed, and skipped back, hardly dodging the downward swipe that would have ended his life. He kicked out, turning the decrepit bones into a fine powder. The skeleton released that breathy screech as it fell to the earth, before Link crushed it under his boot.

Finally the numbers of the skeletal army dropped to none, and the party was able to advance.

"Jareth, you're inhuman!" Link exclaimed. He could see a shadow of a smile on the face of the ranger.

"You good!" Ekron agreed.

"Lots of practice can get anyone to my level." He said, trying to hide the pride in his voice. "I think I see light up ahead.

Link strained his eyes, and was able to see the faintest traces of light like the leaves of a dying flowers. With time, that flower bloomed, and they came to a small flight of stairs that led into the light. They climbed them.

They were in an odd place. An octogonal area ringed by high walls of dusty gray stone. The sky was visible overhead, but was darker than Link had seen it at this time of day. They color of angry storm clouds. A large alter rose in the center of the garden, rising to a platform. A roof covered this platform, supported by four pillars. Link and his companions began to make the climb, and now saw a woman was seated on one of four benches. Her back was to the advancing party, and Link saw her slender form dressed in a delicate white dress. Blonde hair hung to her waste, and he could see she was playing the harp. Sudden pangs went through his stomach as he thought of Zelda.

"Karina!" Jareth breathed, reaching out a hand toward the woman.

The woman named Karina began to turn.


	29. Chapter 29

Jareth jumped forward and wrapped his wife in a happy embrace. At first he didn't notice that she didn't return his embrace, instead allowing her arms to hang from her shoulders limply. Jareth held her out at arms length, looking into her face. He remembered her eyes, her beautiful eyes. Deep gray, like a storm about to come. Now they were dull and far off.

"Karina?" He said questioningly. "Karina! Snap out of it! I'm here now!"

She only gazed at him dumbly.

"Karina!" Jareth screamed, desperation and panic seeping into his voice. "Answer me!"

He paused for a moment, as if considering something very deeply, and then brought his hand across her face. She gave no response. He shouted her name again and again. He sagged to his knees before her, his hands clamped onto hers, which gave no grip. Tears began to well over his eyelids, and he clamped his eyes shut.

"J-Jar-Jareth..." A soft voice said. Her soft voice. He looked up, all the world's hope in his eyes.

"Karina?" He whispered. She looked down at him, that distant look still in her eyes. Her face became strained, as though she were in deep pain.

"I...love...you" She said in between deep gasps. One tear escaped her eye.

"I love you too. What's wro-"

Her body began twist wrongly. Joints bent back ways they shouldn't, and her eyes turned to yellow before his eyes.

"K-Karina!" He shouted one final time, before she slammed her palm into his chest, sending him off the top of the alter, and plummeting to the earth 20 feet below. He hit the ground all the air was knocked from his lungs. Link and Ekron were looking at him from their places halfway up the alter, dumbfounded. He gazed up the alter, and his beloved came to the front of the alter.

"She's not here anymore. We are." A dark voice said, expelled from the mouth of the slim woman who'd been his wife.

"What have you done?" Link asked, drawing his sword and shield.

"we've done what had to be done." Karina said. A grimace raced across her face.

"Our spirits lingered in this world for centuries, locked within the catacombs. This girl was to be our host. We reached out to her, bringing her here. And now we are once again locked within flesh!" She roared. "She no longer resides in this body, not even admist our infinite souls."

"I don't believe you." Jareth said, sounding as if he were saying it to himself. "I can't believe you."

"Who are you?" Link asked the being.

"We are many spirits within one. Our names are many." The being looked as though it were holding deep internal debate. "From this point on, we shall be known as 'Magus'!"

"Well Magus, I'm afraid to say you aren't going to be seeing much of this world." Link said calmly, advancing towards the girl. He felt the air near his head rush, and looked towards the direction it had come from. Jareth had risen from the ground, and had fired an arrow near Link.

"Don't even think about it. That's my Karina, one way or another!" He shouted towards the young man.

"You are a fool, Jareth, to believe that any semblance of your 'Karina' still resides within the halls of this body!" Magus yelled.

"Maybe I am, but I'm not going to let her be harmed, unless I'm damned sure you've stolen her. If that's the case, you will experience such agony that you'll beg to be released into hell." He said.

"Not at all, Ranger. We are indestructible." Magus boasted, puffing it's slim chest out.

Jareth crouched, and wrapped an arm around the talisman on his neck. He looked towards the sky.

"Karina...I need a sign...I can't do this without you" He whispered.

The Orbis stone began to glow with an inward light, escalating it's dull pink to a brilliant red. The color of roses. "Your favorite flower." He said, with a sorrowful smile. The trinket began to float of it's own accord, pull the chain taut. It raised itself as close to the sky as it could, and it began to rain.

He closed his eyes, and a tear exited his eyelids.

"Very well my darling."

"What he doing?" Ekron yelled to Link. They were both looking at the ranger, crouching in the dirt.

"I don't know, but we've got to handle this!" Link responded. The being named Magus had begun moving towards them, her slim form somehow disconcerting. She had somehow managed to grab a thin sword, and was holding it in her pale hand. Her evil eyes looked at them both with a wild intensity.

She dove at Link, and slashed the blade. He brought his own sword up in time to block, and let out a sharp clang. Link distantly noticed it had begun to rain, and somehow he knew a storm was on it's way. He and Magus traded blows, keeping an astounding speed. She was fueled by unholy means, but Link was naturally gifted, and held the triforce. Both of their blades were simple flashes of light through the air, accompanied by sharp ringing.

"You aren't too bad, human." Magus said.

"I wish I could say the same about you, demon." Link taunted.

The insult caused Magus to slack for just the slightest moment, and gave Link the opening he needed. He raised one foot, and drove it into the chest of his foe. Despite being filled with thousands of souls, the host body was still slim and lightweight, and went sailing through the air at Link's rough kick. He nodded at Ekron, who began to roll towards the tumbling body. He sprinted as quickly as he could, and leaped with all his might from the top of the alter. He intended to bring his sword down through the body of the woman.

He heard someone rushing behind him, and turned to see Jareth rushing towards his fallen wife, bow armed.

"_Is he ready for this?_" Link questioned while he fell through the air. Mere moments before he would have made his stab, the demon rolled out of the way, dodging the thrusting blade. He ripped the sword from the ground, glaring towards the demon which was now running towards Ekron, who was still rolling at her. The demon leaped and flipped over the rolling goron, and continued running around the garden. Link turned and shouted at Jareth.

"FIRE! YOU'RE THE ONLY ONE WHO CAN!"

Jareth swallowed, and let his arrow fly. It shot through the air, and drove itself home in the thigh of the body of the women he loved. Magus' mouth formed a stupid 'O' as the arrow struck home, and it fell over, slamming face first into the grass. He, Link, and Ekron sprinted towards the being that had stolen his beloved. The demon rolled over, and looked at them.

"Damn all of you! All of you!" It shouted.

"You do not deserve to exist, monster. You've taken Karina. You've taken everything. I'm going to kill you." Jareth said, forcing through the sobs that wanted to come.

The face then grew sad, and all three were astounded to see tears form in the eyes of the beast.

"But...we were so close...We were going to be freed..." It said. Then it's tears came.

"You're pathetic...undeserving of such a body..." Jareth choked out. He brandished a knife, and held it inches over the beasts throat. His hand was shaking in a volatile manner.

"Link...I can't do this...do it for me, and the trinket is yours." He said, spinning the dagger in his hand, and holding it, handle out, towards Link.

Link took the blade, and slashed the throat of the monster. As he did, he heard the only sob burst from Jareth's lips. The ranger then stood, and turned from them, walking away several feet. He grabbed the gem around his neck, and ripped it from his neck. He tossed it back over his shoulder without looking.

Link made to catch it with one hand, and felt something was off.

Lightning burst through the air and he was suddenly flying through the air.

"_Was I hit?_" He thought. He jerked his head towards where he'd been standing and saw a dark figure standing there, holding the stone.

"_Who..._" Link thought. Then the figure looked at him and grinned, displaying a row of fangs.

Link's father had arrived.


	30. Chapter 30

Link crashed into one of the roofs supporting the pillars, and it crumbled. He fell to the floor and saw the roof was falling, and, for one horrid second, thought it would come down right on top of him. It instead slid off the path of least resistance, slamming onto the granite steps that led to the altar's zenith.

Link propped himself on one elbow and saw the silhouette of his father standing there, only his glowing red eyes visible.

"Hello, boy." He said in his deadly two-tone voice.

"Pleased to see ya, da'" Link said sarcastically. He could practically see the twitch of his father's features.

"Insolent pest!" The shadow shouted at him, holding a hand out, and sending a pulse of violet energy at him. The wave hit Link and he was engulfed in pain so intense he couldn't prevent himself from curling into a ball of pain. A shout of agony split his lips, and he grimaced. Then suddenly, the pain stopped.

He looked up at the spectral being, and saw it was turned away from him, holding an arrow in it's hand.

"_Jareth..._" Link thought. Then he heard a savage war-cry, and knew Ekron was charging. He took advantage of his father's distractedness and stood up, quickly drawing his blade and attempting to strike his father on the crown of his head. The blade passed through simple air as the darkly clad figure side-stepped, without even looking.

"You're slow." He said mockingly, back still turned. "Far slower than any child of mine would have been."

Link had all the air crushed from his lungs as his father rammed the back of his hand into his solar plexus. He fell to his knees, sputtering, trying to bring in air, and to fight of the panic that wanted to conquer him. His shielded hand came to his chest, gripping the place he'd been struck. A dull, fleshy thud came to his ears, and he looked up. Ekron had been kicked away by Dark-Link, and was rolling down the stairs. Link could see the top of Jareth's head from his placement on the altar, and attempted to stand once more.

He managed to stay upright on his two shaky legs, using his sword as an old man might use a cane.

"_What was it I'd thought? The next meeting may not be so one sided?_" Link thought ruefully, accepting how horribly wrong he'd been. Even with his powers furthered, and two fine companions by his side he still stood before his father as a feather before a great storm.

The storm was picking up. Water was pounding the grassy turf of the garden, and lightning struck, illuminating the world more brightly than Link had seen it since his arrival. His father stood, back turned, like a demon from the pits of hell.

"_There's nothing I can do!_" Link thought. But that wasn't true. His mind had something in it. A voice spoke in his head, and Link realized, disgustedly, it was Alnahim's.

"_This elixir is capable of returning your father's mind to normal. His physical appearance and his affinity to shadow magic can no longer be reversed, but his madness will subside. If you can get this into his system somehow, he will truly remember the events of his life for the first time in over 17 years._"

"Of course!" Link exclaimed aloud. He reached into his pouch, and pulled forth the vial of white liquid. He crept up behind the monster his father had become, bottle in hand. Dark Link turned around, shooting another burst of energy at him. Link, this time, danced out of the way, and resumed his advance. His father cocked his head to the side, almost amused.

"Perhaps you aren't so incompetent." He said, though his ever present mocking tone made Link believe he didn't quite think so. Either way, the shadow drew his sword. Link couldn't help but admire how right it looked in his hand. He shook his hand. Action was at hand, now wasn't the time to worry about aesthetics.

The first slash almost removed his head. His foes sword had passed through air faster than Link could blink, and only some queer instinct caused him to jerk his head back. He haphazardly tossed the vial back into his pack, and redrew his own sword.

Link was instantly on the defensive. He managed to block every swipe, but didn't have the time to work his own in. He imagined his shield would be riddled with dents, his sword scored with nicks. One slash evaded his block, and caught his cheek, digging a shallow entrance. Link winced as the blade's tip swung mere centimeters from his eye. As his opponent's blade sailed upward, Link dove in, hoping to turn the tables. He swung his weapon mercilessly, and to his dismay, his father blocked each slash with ease.

Link saw out of the corner of his eye that Jareth and Ekron were creeping up behind his father.

"_All we need is to knock him down, then I can get the elixir down his throat._" Link thought through the symphony of clangs and swishes that he and his father were creating.

The goron and ranger were now just behind dark link, and Ekron rose his battle ax silently. Jareth had already had his bow ready. Now he let the arrow fly, as Ekron slammed the ax down. Dark Link turned in a half circle, deflecting Link's sword, cutting Jareth's arrow in half, and catching Ekron's ax all in that simple movement.

"I'm afraid to admit you're all terrible." Dark Link said, grinning evilly.

"Damn you!" Jareth growled, letting his bow drop. He drew his sword, and attacked with the ferocity of a half-starved wolverine. Link could see, just for the slightest moment, his father's eyes widen. Some form of jealously struck him, but he let it go as easily as it came. Jealously was of no benefit now.

Dark Link retreated half a step under Jareth's endless attack, but the grin never left his face. Link approached, and he performed a beautiful back flip, landing several feet away. He held his sword so it pointed towards the ground, seemingly amused by all this. Jareth soared at him, and the fight was on once more. Link couldn't help but be amazed at the infinite supply of energy of both fighters. He wanted to join in the fray, as he could tell Ekron did as well, but they both knew it could not be. Dark Link would simply evade their attacks, and Link had to admit to himself with a harsh breaking that Jareth was a greater swordsman than he.

"_He may be...but I may still be able to outdo him on magic_" He thought, pulling his gems from his pack. It was awkard holding all three of them, but her managed it all the same, Fire in one hand, Lightning and Ice in the other. He nodded to Ekron, and began to run around the fight ocurring between Link's new friend and father. He used the gems, shooting out alternating beams of fire, ice, and lightning. Dark Link looked over and saw these balls of elements approaching, and kicked Jareth away for a moment, and slashed them all with expert precision, sending two weakened blasts to fly off. Jareth attacked once again, and Dark Link jumped up, landing on his shoulders. He kicked off, pushing Link's friend in the way of his blasts.

Link cursed, and fear struck his heart as he thought he might hurt the ranger. But he was nimble and acrobatic, simply rolling out of the way of the blasts. He turned, and was greeted by one of Dark Link's fists pummeling his nose. He was knocked back several feet, and stared at the apparition, bewildered. Dark Link chased Jareth, who dodged every attack, as fluid as water.

"Screw it!" Link shouted. He ran at Dark link, and motioned for Ekron to do the same. Ekron was still on the steps of the altar, and Link knew he would reach his father before Ekron did. He came up to his father, who was still engaged with the fluid ranger, and attempted to attack him. His father raised a gauntletted arm and let the blade slam onto the protective plate there. He rolled his arm around and down Link's sword, grasping his wrist. He twisted Link's wrist, and bright flares of agony sparked up from the region as Link felt his wrist popping. Then the symphony of pain he'd felt soared into a climactic crescendo of white-hot ruination as the wrist broke.

Link tried to bash his shield into his father's face, but to no avail. He felt that even if it had hit, it wouldn't have mattered. It felt like all the strength had been expelled from his body. Then Ekron appeared, slamming his massive battle ax towards the apparition. Link looked at his face and saw true anger. The first time he could remember seeing such an expression.

"Bastard! You no hurt Link!" Cried the typically quiet goron. Link almost laughed at hearing Ekron swear.

"_probably learned that from me_" He thought, amused in spite of the pain racing up and down his arm. Dark Link skipped back a step, narrowly avoiding the heavy arc of the ax. He rolled backwards, placing a palm upon the ground and pushing himself back to his feet to avoid the swiped Jareth had made at his knees.

"The three of you may be some of this land's greatest fighters," The shadow said, in what seemed the first true praise of the day, "But that still isn't enough to challenge me."

"You shut mouth!" Ekron shouted, swinging his ax.

"I must agree. You shut mouth." Jareth said dryly, while sending a buffet of attacks at the dark warrior.

Dark Link skipped backwards gracefully, without giving the barest hint of distress. Link hated him for the ease with which he was handling them. He then did a quick job of swapping his shield to the arm with the broken wrist, and his sword to other hand.

_"Thank Din I'm both-handed._"

Once again he dove into the battle. Goron, Hylian, Ranger, all united against this single entity who seemed to outclass them all. Link's hope that they'd leave alive was fading. As such, his goal was simply to do as much damage as he could, and perhaps get the cure into his father. Clangs erupted one after the other after other as they attacked as if it were some odd dance to a beat only they knew. No one's attacks struck home.

Then Dark Link ceased his attack, dropping his sword, and going into a stance which looked as though he were astride an invisible stallion. All this in under half a second. Then he brought his arms down and shouted.

A bubble of dark energy came off of the apparition, hitting the trio with a crushing force. All were forced through the air with comical expressions of surprise on their faces. Link and Jareth managed to turn while they were in the air, landing on their feet. Ekron only made it halfway and drove his face into the dirt. The goron stood up quickly though, and retrieved his battle ax. Link reached into his pouch and withdrew his lightning gem once again. He shot a bolt of energy at Dark Link, and somehow it struck.

The dark man straightened rigidly as the electric blast struck him. Then the energy faded and he turned to Link with murderous cold. He stuck out both hands towards Jareth and Ekron, and shot balls of purple fire at them. The fire shot through the air like a bullet, and neither of Link's companions had the chance to dodge it. It struck Ekron in the face, and Jareth in the chest, and both were propelled into the ground. Dark Link began walking towards Link slowly. Link lowered himself into a crouch behind his shield, holding his sword behind him.

"You...have been a nuisance to me for _far_ too long, boy!" He stated calmly as he drew nearer. "It was fun toying with you, but now it's simply gone too far. I have very real goals, and I'd not see them ruined by a stupid boy with dreams of glory floating about his head."

He was only a few yards from Link now. One of his pale hands came out, palm towards Link, and three black rings exited. They came towards the hero, who tried to cut them, but to no avail. The sword hit nothing. The rings caught Link, and cinched tightly, making him immobile. He tumbled to the ground like a sack of potatoes he'd carelessly tossed in another life. His father drew closer, and raised his blade.

"Goodbye, whoever you are" He spat. Link closed his eyes, and twitched when he heard the sword split through his chest, tearing his heart from it's place. He felt no pain, and he was glad of it.

"_That...can't be right_" He thought, and opened one of his eyes.

Ekron stood facing him, a sword driven through his chest. Blood dripped from the exit wound, leaving trails of fine red on the goron's body. Tears welled up in the goron's eyes before they spilled onto his orange-tan skin.

"You...safe, Link." He said, and then dissolved into a fit of coughing. Blood sprayed onto Link's face, but he paid it no heed.

"No..." He whispered, then howled, "NOOO!"

Tears came to his eyes, and he let them spill.

"Why? Why you idiot! You weren't supposed to die! Not for me!" Link shouted.

"Please...no mad...Link" Ekron said. Link could already hear the life exiting his voice.

Then the world was ablaze with light and a figure garbed in black burst into existence between Ekron and Dark-Link.


	31. Chapter 31

The hooded figure shoved his hand rudely into Dark-link's chest. The dark being was pushed back harshly, and Link heard the sickening squelch as his saber was torn from Ekron's body. Ekron groaned and collapsed forward onto one knee, sending up tiny clouds of dust. Link was instantly up, wrapping an arm around his injured companion's shoulders. Jareth ran over, and crouched down, beginning to look at the wound. Link noticed he'd gotten his bow.

"Who's the cloak?" He asked while staring at the wide wound in the goron.

"What can you do for him?" Link asked, ignoring the previous question.

The wind blew with a sudden ferocity, and the figure's hood was blown back, revealing his fair features and jet black hair. Alnahim.

"You!" Dark-link growled, eyes widening with surprise.

"Well...this doesn't look to good." Alnahim stated matter of factly. "Not here for more than ten seconds and my covers blown."

"You're dead!" The red-eyed shadow shouted. Alnahim simply held out his arms openly as if to say, "_Here I am_".

"Another one of your tricks, boy?" Link's father shouted. Anger flashed through Link, roaring like a lion. His bastard of a father had never recognized him, never even referred to him by name. He'd broken his wrist. Worst of all...it looked like he'd killed the one Link now realized was his best friend.

"I possess no tricks, you fucking fool!" He roared. "You are too much of a damn idiot to see what's right in front of your face! You are no father of mine, I renounce you! And I WILL stop you!"

Alnahim turned his head towards him, back still turned. "I'll handle this."

Link truly registered Alnahim for the first time.

"You? What?" He asked in complete confusion.

"Explanation may arise later, we need to leave." The demon stated.

"None shall leave this place aside from I!" Dark-link cried.

However, Alnahim opened a portal of darkness, and shoved Link and his friends through it.

"We'll be seeing you, I'm sure." Alnahim said, raising his hood once more. He then leaped backwards into the portal, which soon faded out of existence.

They'd been teleported to a shallow cave, and it was night out. Link could see the entrance of the cave, but his attention was focused on other things. Ekron was lying on the ground, blood running freely from his wound. His eyes were half shut, and his breath came in shallow rapid gasps. Link was on his knees to the goron's right, Jareth on his right. Alnahim stood several feet away, seeming indifferent to the situation, his hood down, back to the rest of the group.

"What can you do for him?" Link asked Jareth, an edge of panic in his voice. Jareth looked away from link, a shadow passing over his eyes. It was all the answer Link needed. He placed a hand on Ekron's face.

"Hang in there..." Link whispered.

"O...kay, Link" Ekron groaned. His pain was evident, and it pained Link's heart to see him. He was trying hard to not let despair ensnare his mind, and it was becoming an increasingly uphill battle. His mind was scattering in all directions, trying to think of some way out. Some way to save Ekron.

"Alnahim..." Link began. The wizard turned, setting his purple gaze on him.

"yes?" Alnahim asked in a voice Link would have called sad. He also noted that it sounded as though the warlock knew what he would ask.

"You said you were versed in white magic. Can you save him?" Link asked, hot tears coming to his eyes. He hated asking the demon for anything, but between his pride and Ekron's life, there was no competition. Alnahim didn't avert his gaze when he answered with, "He's too far gone to save. I didn't lie when I said I knew of white magics, but no white magic can reverse the process of death. I can make his passing easier for him, but he cannot be saved."

The words pierced Link like a knife. He looked down at the goron lying there, blood dried and caked to his body while more pumped from him. The wound had only been inflicted minutes ago, yet it already seemed another life. Pangs of sadness and guilt finally broke through Link's barrier, and several tears slid down his face.

"No...No...Cry Link" Ekron coughed, bringing one hand up, and placing it's weight on Link's shoulder.

"I'm sorry...I'm sorry...I'm sorry..." Link repeated. He felt he couldn't say it enough. He had grown so close to the goron, and didn't want to have to leave him. To have the goron leave him.

"I should have been better...I'm sorry..." Link gasped through his tears.

"I hurt Link." Ekron said. Link looked towards the tall wizard, and nodded at him. He walked over and kneeled next to the goron, and made several symbols with his hands. A warm looking yellow light shone from the hand, and struck the goron, coursing over his body, flowing over him like steam. The gaseous light dissolved from sight, but Link saw that Ekron was in much less pain.

Jareth and Alnahim rose silently, and left the cave, leaving Link and Ekron alone. Link could tell his friend's time was short, the truth of it was more raw an emotion than he could remember. It roiled inside him like some unholy stew. He could now understand how some people were driven mad by loss. For a moment, Link felt like an ungodly poison. Everyone he was with suffered. His mother had been killed from some plague. His uncle killed by Ganondorf...that villain who now seemed so far off. Zelda had been kidnapped and robbed of her piece of the triforce. His father had been driven mad. Everyone he came into true contact with was ruined in some way...The tears came again, and he let them fall freely.

Ekron clasped one of Link's hands in his own, and their tears mingled.

"One...regret." He sputtered.

"What?" Link asked, confusing being added to his already massive mix of emotions.

"Wish I see stars..." He said, a loose rueful smile covering his face.

Almost as if on cue, Link heard a voice from outside beckoning them. He looked around, and decided it best to go. He hoisted the goron up, worried that he may break the magic preventing pain. He carried Ekron on his shoulder, and out the cave.

"What is it?" Link asked sharply.

Neither of the men answered, they were looking at the sky. It was alive with countless little torches. The spread over the sky like chandeliers of the finest ballroom, their light beautiful and fulfilling. Link felt a tug of homesickness add to him.

"W-Wow..." Ekron exclaimed in a breathy whisper. Link laid him down here, so he could see without having to crane his neck so far. "Bee-ooo-tifull"

"Yeah..." Link said, choking back a sob. He saw the starlight in Ekron's eyes, and knew his friend contented. He could also see there was almost no time left.

"Ekron?" Link began.

"...yes..."

"I Love you, brother."

Ekron's eyes widened minimally, and he looked at Link and smiled his infectious smile.

"I love you too, brother."

And like that, he was gone. Link finally broke, erupting into low howls of emotional agony. He'd have his wrist broken, nay, all his bones broken, a thousand times if he didn't have to fight off this crushing trauma. Link felt like a sailor at sea, in the midst of a hurricane. Helpless, lost, scared. He brought his head down onto his friend's corpse, grasping it with his hands. He moaned his sorrows and howled his sadness. He was slipping under the ice, evil hands of depression, and couldn't stop himself.

"We'll give him a proper burial..." Jareth said, as if he were ashamed to say it.

"We...We shall." Link said, forcing himself to calm down. He looked at Alnahim with red-rimmed eyes. "I know not why you're here, and there will be time for that later. But for now, I thank you for soothing his pains, and for your illusion."

Alnahim looked at the sky, and the stars faded away, replaced by the usual cloudy presence.

"Yes...there will be much time for talk..." Alnahim said.

"We'll take him back to the kingdom of gorons..." Link said. "He'll be buried alongside his peers. Heroes and kings of lore."

"I think no other place would suit him better." Jareth said.


	32. Chapter 32

They'd been in the city for two days now, and Ekron was set to be entombed the next day. Link had been given residence in the royal sector of the goron, a seperate room from Jareth and Alnahim, who still hadn't informed Link of everything that was going on.

The room was small, but comfortable. The cool stone walls rose to about ten feet high before doming over him. A cozy bed sat in the corner, draped with wine red sheets. A warm fire silently roared in the middle of one of the walls, the smoke being sucked through the complex chimney system of the city. Several chairs were set around the room, though Link didn't sit.

He was pacing in front of the fire, hand placed to his chin. His tunic and chain mail had been tossed uncaringly onto one of the chairs, and he was standing barechested and barefooted, The slight bulges of his muscle sending shadows across his body. His wrist was covered in a rough splint, and the wound would heal with time, no serious problems. He had refused to ask Alnahim to heal it, and the warlock had not offered.

He was thinking of what his party should do, trying to keep thoughts of a certain goron off his mind and soul. He figured that the bastard that killed Ekron would most likely head to the city. He'd already informed Gaius, the king, who told him the situation would be handled. Link did not wish to leave the city right before a major attack would be made, but also did not want to waste time. He'd already lost one of the precious ores his father needed. Getting it back wasn't likely. So he'd have to refocus. Focus on what he'd come to this land to do.

He need to get the triforce pieces, and two of them were still hidden in this land. He knew one was placed in the heartless savannah, just West of the forgotten City. Then a place known as the Tower of Nem. He'd already spoken with the ranger, Jareth, and he'd agreed to join Link. Link figured the wizard would be gone before long, and didn't want to have to exchange unnecessary pleasantries. They'd travel to the savannah first, then to the tower of Nem, hopefully skirting widely around the forgotten city.

Link scratched his cheek, and was surprised to feel it just the slightest bit damp. He'd not felt any tears spill over his eyelids while he was thinking. He brushed them away with the back of his hand, and resumed his thoughts.

They would remain in the city at least until Ekron was buried. After that, things could take care of themselves. Link stopped pacing and finally slithered into bed, falling asleep shortly after.

* * *

He rose somberly the next morning, already dreading the inevitable events of the day. He wore formal dark clothing that had been given to him by a goron seamstress. He looked into the long full-body mirror in his room, noticing how odd he looked outside of a tunic. Especially his cap. An involuntary smile touched his lips. He turned away from the mirror, and left his room, walking towards the funeral hall. Halfway there he saw Jareth, also dressed in black clothing. Alnahim was to his left, still wearing his black cloak. He'd not revealed his identity to the goron people.

"Link." Jareth said with a nod.

"Jareth" Link said, returning the nod. They continued together towards the Funeral hall.

* * *

The hall was crammed with gorons, all looking sad. Gaius was standing on a stage on the far end of the large room, looking prepared to talk.

"My friends..." He began. "Today is one of strife for us all. A great hero of our people has left us. One who was strong and courageous, down to the end. Ekron! One who fought alongside me against the evil dragon below us, only a short time ago. He was a goron more courageous than I've ever seen, and was proud to have such a knight within my kingdom. And as he lived...he died. A hero. He threw his life away without a thought to save another."

Link nearly choked, and turned inward, not hearing the rest of the goron king's speech. Finally, the crowd began to disperse, and six strong looking gorons ascended to the stage. A casket, seemingly made of diamonds, was placed on it, and Link knew Ekron lay within it. The casket-bearers picked up the coffin, and disappeared down a tunnel off the stage. Gaius motioned for Link to follow. He did.

The two strode in silence for a while, until they reached the designated tomb, an area lit by glowing crystals set in the walls. Along the way, the small group had passed through a small number of these rooms, and Link knew this is where the dead were buried. The hallway bisected the room, and Link could see there was a small altar on each side of the room. Both were empty.

"Who's the other?" He asked half-heartedly.

"He will be buried across from me." Gaius said.

The thought made Link happy in a way. Ekron had liked the king very much, calling him a powerful warrior. He knew he'd be pleased to know he'd be buried right across from someone he liked so much. The casket bearers rose the three stairs to the top of the altar, and sent the coffin atop it.

Link hadn't noticed that Alnahim had joined him, as he'd made no noise. Now Alnahim stepped forward, revealing himself to the populous of the room. The goron's hands dropped to the weapons they held at their waists. Link had noticed when they first arrived that they gorons disliked Alnahim, though they didn't have reason to. He'd simply attributed it to simple instinct...The demon never dropped his hood.

Alnahim rose his hand, and waved it in the direction of the rock above Ekron's casket. The rocks above the coffin turned black as midnight. A second wave, and small white gems began to jut from the ceiling over Ekron. The light from the crystals caught this, and the gems also glowed, but with a clean white light. Link realized the wizard had created a miniature night sky, complete with scars, over Ekron's eternal resting place.

The act of kindness from one he still considered an enemy caused several tears to spill, and run down his face. He rubbed his arm across his eyes, and grimaced with the effort of stopping the tears from coming. He'd always hated crying. The black-robed demon turned back towards him, and began to walk out of the tunnels. As he passed, Link muttered thanks. The hooded one nodded and stopped moving.

"We shall stay in the city for several days. We will hold several meetings with the leaders, and provide military strategy. And you are going to be taught. Your swordplay is nowhere near good enough to defeat him yet. Jareth will instruct you in archery and swordsmanship. I will begin teaching you the basics of magic. You will not need petty little gems very often when we are through." Alnahim said, and then moved on.

"_So be it. I need to become more powerful...or I'll be unable to save anyone..._" Link thought grimly. He shut his eyes briefly, and spoke his final farewell to his Goron friend, then turned and left the caverns.


	33. Chapter 33

Sweat ran from link's brow into his eyes, stinging them, as he deflected and dodged Jareth's dancing sword. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw goron children staring at them, pleased to see the two able fighters. For his distractedness, he was rewarded with Jareth's boot slamming firmly into his stomach, forcing the air out of his lungs. He sunk to his knees, gasping for air, and felt the cold, dull edge of the ranger's sword on the nape of his neck.

They had been training everyday for a week now, and Link was covered with bruises and cuts. They practiced in the large training halls of the gorons, a huge room carved out of stone, that had a soft dirt floor. Some stone had been left, filling the role of columns, supporting the heavy roof. Stone benches had been set along the walls, for people to sit and watch the people train. All week, it had only been Jareth and Link. All the soldiers were either stationed at the pass, or guarding the main entrance of the city for Dark-Link's inevitable attack. Finnic, the blacksmith, had crafted them special weapons, without the usual razor edges. Over this week, Link had not managed even slight harm to Jareth's person. The ranger, on the other hand, had managed to damage Link with an eerie ease.

"Link, that's three times today, and we've only been at it for an hour." The ranger said, grabbing Link by the shoulder and hoisting him up.

"I'm sorry. I got distracted." Link muttered.

"Clearly. Why do you think I was able to kick you? If I was an actual enemy you would be dead. Pay attention while in combat." Jareth said calmly. "Take up your stance again, and focus."

Link spread his legs to a shoulder and half apart, and distributed his weight equally to both legs. He rose a few inches as he perched on the balls of his feet, and began to shift his weight back and forth, so he would be able to quickly move when necessary. His eyes sharpened, and his grip grew stronger as he prepared to fight. Jareth adopted much the same stance, but he did not shift his weight, instead standing firm. The two fighters stared at each other, practically willing their opponent to make the first move. Finally, link did.

He dove in, sword tip seeking to plunge into Jareth's ribs. The ranger stepped back, and turned his blade in a silver arc, flicking Link's sword away. Link carried his momentum, pulling himself into a roll to avoid the attack that Jareth would no doubt try to make. He heard Jareth's saber pass through empty air, and popped back up behind the ranger, twirling around with his sword, hoping to score a bash against the ranger's back. Jareth arched his back, momentarily reminiscent of a cat, making the blade miss his layers of leathers and cloths by less than an inch. He then whipped his body around, quick as lightning, aiming the dull blade at Link's skull.

Link ducked under the blur of gray and rose, hoping to take advantage of Jareth going off balance. To his dismay, the ranger's attack had not been as sweeping as Link had thought, and he was greeted by Jareth's fist pummeling his cheek. He was pushed off balance as he felt the rough, cracked leather gloves burrow slightly into the side of his head, and tear across the front. Link felt his eyes water reflexively as it bashed his nose before sliding off. In return for this gift, he rammed his fist upward into Jareth's solar plexus, forcing the ranger off of his feet. Jareth's eyes widened in shock at the blow. Link could smell the beef stew on his breath as it rushed out of Jareth's mouth, and into his face.

Then Link saw the ranger's eyes narrow, and he gripped Link's head. He used it as a tool to vault over the tunic wearing warrior. His blade was then out, and Link felt hot pain crack against his ribs. He cursed and leaped away, twisting to see the ranger.

"It wasn't a fatal wound. We can continue." Jareth called.

"Very well!" Link shouted back, smiling despite the pain. He liked his sparring sessions with Jareth, even if he always came out as the loser. There were a million more things to learn in failure than in success. And he was a good teacher. Link already felt a better fighter than he had only last week. When they first began, he never would have landed such a punch on the ranger. What's more, the ranger was never too serious, being patient with Link, giving him room to grow. Still, he'd not mind winning a few of their bouts.

Link landed lightly, his knees bending slightly to cushion the impact. He paused for a single moment, and bolted towards the ranger. Jareth settled back into a defensive position, most of his weight set on his back leg, his feet and legs in an L-formation. His sword was raised diagonally across his body, so as to easily block any attack Link threw. As Link drew within striking distance, he feigned with his sword, to draw the blade from it's initial position. Jareth fell for it, sending his sword out to block a swipe that would never come. Link leapt into the air over Jareth, performing a front flip in the air. While in the midst of this somersault he brought his blade down, slamming it onto Jareth's skull with a satisfying thud.

The ranger staggered forward a few steps, his hand coming up to grasp his wounded head. He turned, and Link thought he saw a grimace. Instead, he had mistaken a grin.

"Spectacular!" Jareth exclaimed while rubbing his head. "Now let's see if you can manage to strike me again."

"All right." Link said, grinning.

They resumed their usual starting positions and began. Jareth made the first move almost instantly, shocking Link into stumbling back a few steps to avoid the attack. His foe chased him, attempting to keep him off balance, make him fall, and make short work of him. Realizing this, Link moved closer to the ranger, so any actual sword-strikes would be too awkward to perform. Jareth brought up a knee towards his ribs, which Link blocked by bringing his elbow down on the rising joint.

Jareth grunted slightly, and reared back his shoulder, slamming his fist in Link's direction. Link shifted his neck so the fist didn't touch him, and then leaped back. He landed about 10 feet away from Jareth, and they were once again eyeing each other. Link was imagining what tactics he should try, and what tactics his opponent would try. He knew Jareth would not fall for the same move twice in a row, so he had to reformulate. And formulate faster than Jareth, who was no doubt doing the same thing. Finally, and idea came to him. Unfortunately, it was at the same time Jareth began to run at him.

"_Guess it's a gamble_." Link thought, as he began to sprint.

When the two fighters came close enough together to strike, Jareth jumped into the air, at the exact moment that Link hit the ground in a slide, sending up clouds of dust. They both brought their blades up, hoping to strike someone who wasn't there. The tips of their blades clashed, sending out a few slow sparks. Jareth landed and whipped around, and Link rose, turning himself to face the ranger. He was smiling. The two dove in to attack once more, except this time, Link threw a handful of soft dirt he'd picked up during his slide into Jareth's eyes. The ranger's eyes clamped shut, and he blindly brought up his weapon, which Link swatted aside with his own. He then brought his sword to The ranger's neck, not noticing that his foe had done the same to his own neck.

Jareth forced one, bloodshot eye open and looked at Link.

"Draw." He croaked.

As such, Link and Jareth continued to train, until most battles were draws, and the others were close. Link was typically covered from head to toe in bruises, but found satisfaction in that Jareth was also getting the same treatment. Each night he fell asleep effortlessly, and he found some deep mental peace from his constantly improving abilities.

"Soon though, I must train with Alnahim." He thought. He imagined that would be an entirely different experience. He was right.


	34. Chapter 34

"You are doing it wrong. Do better." Alnahim said, his brow furrowed in frustration. "We've been at this for three days straight, and you've only managed to shoot one successful shot of magic, without your gems. I must have told you a thousand times now. Using magic is like drawing water from a well. You possess a certain amount of _mana_ within your soul. To use the magic, you must draw from that. You are not even a novice, so you must concentrate deeply to reach your mana well. Once you reach it, draw it from your core, and channel it through your body. Like water through a river, you must flow. Envision what form you want the mana to take, and when it leaves you, it will assume that form."

Link groaned and bent down, placing his hands on his knees. Alnahim had been painfully literal when he said they'd been at it for three days straight. Link hadn't seen a bed, or even another goron since he'd been ushered into this room with the demon. His eyes were red-rimmed and sunken from sleep deprivation, and he desired nothing more than to curl up and sleep for a week. Instead, he was stuck in this training hall with someone he didn't know if he could trust, who kept shouting at him about mana. He'd delved into that spring once, and it had been a blissful experience. It had felt like cool water rushing over him, flowing through his body, turning his blood cool, his mind clear, and then the cool energy had flowed through his body to his wrist, and he'd imagined ice. A great white beam of frost had erupted from his wrist, covering the ground with thick ice. Alnahim had rewarded him with an eerily...false looking smile, and then told him to do it again. Link had been unable to do so.

Stars broke out across Link's vision as Alnahim's staff bashed him across the back of the head. He whirled around, suddenly more awake then he'd been the past day and a half.

"Pay attention!" The wizard exclaimed.

"Maybe it'd be easier if I'd had some sleep in the past three days!" Link shouted back.

"Oh for din's sake! You humans and your sleep. You'd only be wasting time. Time we don't have. This could be something that could change everything! If you had known magic, perhaps your goron friend wouldn't be lying in a coffin beneath us."

The last sentence hit Link as strong as any blow. He could feel any remaining cheer he had being sucked away. Sadness and guilt gripped and squeezed him with fierce might. Then anger joined in the assault, and he only wished to rip the demon's head from his shoulders. He stood up and glared at the demon, reaching for his shield and sword before remembering they'd been left in his room when he'd begun magic training.

Link's desire to attack the demon pushed all other things from his mind, and he felt himself begin to slip into that well of mana. Except this time it was blindingly hot, and made his blood feel as though he was boiling. Link coiled up his body and then shot his arm out towards the demon. Sparks ignited around his arm, and then five fireballs shot out from his hand, in rapid succession.

Alnahim smirked unflinchingly, as if he'd wanted this all along, and let the blasts of flame come towards him. When they were close to him, he lashed out with his arm, quick as thought, and cut them down, where they simply faded away.

"Damn you..." Link growled. Part of him was angry at how he'd used Ekron against him to get him to use magic. The other part was furious because it had worked.

"Damned or not, my plan worked." Alnahim said. "You drew from your mana, and created fire. Remember that. You are young and inexperienced, as such, your mana pool is rather shallow. With time and practice, it shall deepen, allowing you to use more powerful spells. For now, I recommend simple ones. Fireballs, lightning bolts, ice beams. You can experiment later. For now, don't go and kill yourself. You're somewhat valuable."

"Why? What interest do you have in me?" Link questioned angrily, "Not all that long ago you were trying to kill me!"

The wizard's usually calm face twitched, so slight Link hardly noticed it.

"There will be time to talk about that later. For now we ha-"

"That's what you keep saying, and then you change the subject. I want some answers. How come an enemy has suddenly done so much to help me? What were you even doing in the forgotten city? What's your goal?" Link shouted.

"There will be time to talk about that later." Alnahim repeated solemnly.

"Whatever you say." Link murmured. He was sick of dealing with the wizard dodging his questions.

"let's get back to training. Remember the feeling of reaching your mana pool. Get back to it, and dive within. Let it flow, and then channel it. If it truly helps, imagine an emotionally evocative image."

Link closed his eyes in bitter concentration, focusing on reaching that deep valley of energy that was stored within him. Several times he felt himself graze it's surface before pulling him spasmatically. Frustration nearly ruined his chances, but then he imagined Ekron standing over him.

Link felt the spray of blood coat his face, heard the blade pierce his friend's back, smelled the storm in the air. The memory was just enough to pull him into his mana, and use it. He envisioned the powerful lightning bolts of the storm, and willed his mana to take that form. A gigantic yellow flash blasted from his hand, more powerful than anything he'd made before. He saw Alnahim's eyes widen, and took satisfaction from it. A thin smirk spread across his face.

The moment before the bolt hit the wall, Link swooned, and the bolt disappeared. He collapsed to one knee, planting one hand to the earth to keep himself up.

"I've run you dry." Alnahim said casually. "Leave. Rest. Be ready for battle. I think it comes to us on wings."

Link rose silently, and strode from the training hall, using every ounce of his will to hold his head high. As soon as the great doors closed behind him, he allowed himself to slump, and meander towards his room slowly. When he reached his room, he collapsed into his bed, instantly falling to sleep.

In his dreams, he saw his father, talking to some hideous beast. It looked like some cross between a crocodile and a gorilla. It stood on two legs, and it's scaly muscled arms fell to it's knees. It was dressed in a black mail breastplate, and well as chain-mail pants, with black plate greaves. Silver pauldrons covered it's shoulders, and it was wearing black gauntlets. It stood perhaps nine feet tall. Most menacing however, was the wicked scythe that was strapped to it's back.

"How are preparations, Gessith?" Dark-Link asked.

"Spectacular, M'lord." The beast hissed. "I've amassed the troops in forces so thick the gorons will be unable to stop them."

"Good. We begin the attack soon. We break through the pass, and then we storm the city." Dark-Link said. "I want you to head the Elnestin tribe in the attack.

"Of course M'lord." Gessith said, performing a bow to the dark warrior. The large demon lumbered away on two long legs.

Dark-Link, now alone, looked down at the palm of his open hand. His gaze narrowed, and the hand curled into a fist.

"None of this is making sense..." He muttered. "First the boy...then the wizard...They shouldn't exist...yet they do. And if I was wrong about the wizard...does that mean I could be...no! That's not right. I know what happened! I was there, damn it! My wife and son are dead. I have to return to the light world. Have to defeat Ganon. But what if the boy is my son? No! He isn't!"

This discussion chilled Link, but he couldn't pull himself back to being awake, or end the dream. It seemed to real to be a dream. Somehow he knew...this was happening. It was odd though...Dark-Link's voice was...changing. At some points it was a voice that seemed strong but wavered under this weight. At others it was a rasping malevolent noise. But the dual voices were gone for the moment...separated, it seemed.

"The boy is just some kid sent by the king to ruin you." The shadowy voice said.

"But then what's the wizard? No wizard of the king is as powerful as Alnahim. And I saw his eyes. Those eyes aren't recreatable." The strong voice said.

"Maybe he's an illusion. Mayhap the boy is a magician of his own, and used the memory of the wizard." The raspy one answered.

"No...the boy may be skilled in sword-fighting, but he's no spellcaster. He'd have used the magic to save his friend, or when he thought he was going to die." Said the strong voice again.

"Then what of the ranger man that was with him?"

"No...If that man knows magic, it's only shamanic magic. He knows nothing of illusions...magical ones at least." The strong voice said, after a few moments of crystalline silence.

"The goron?" The shadow voice asked, a tinge of desperation tainting it's seductive appeal.

"No...the wizard didn't show up until after the goron was dying." The strong voice said painfully.

"Wait...The boy was traveling with a goron." The shadowy voice began. "That means he must have already visited the goron capitol! What if he's got the ignis rock!"

"If Link's...NO! If _the boy's_ got the ignis rock, all the better. He's preferable to that dragon, with it's terrible fixation and obsession towards it's child." The voice seemed to falter as it reached the word, 'child' and then trailed off after the word was uttered.

"...This is tearing me apart." The voice said somberly.

For the first time since Link had seen him, Dark-Link seemed human.

Then he felt himself fading from the dream. Leaving the man who was his father behind, alone in his misery.


	35. Chapter 35

Link awoke to the sounds of horns blowing throughout the city. It could only mean one thing.

Battle.

Link leaped from his bed and hastily dressed himself, preparing all his gear. He rushed from the room towards the front gates, where the battle had begun

Goron soldiers fought against a massive array of monsters. The beasts had broken through the large gilded doors of the mountain, and had made combat with the armored goron soldiers. The smell of blood and tears permeated through the air as Link jumped from the high ramp and landed in the midst of the battle. He was immediately attacked by a creature that stood 7 feet tall and was covered in matted black fur. It attacked him with crude claws, all of which were well over 3 feet long. Link ducked under the monster's swipe, and rose, sheathing his sword in the beasts stomach. It curled over and weakly grasped at the new hole in it's body. Link ripped the sword out, and shoved the monster to the side, advancing into the battlefield.

He saw Jareth engaged with a repulsive creature that looked almost human, aside from it's bright red slimy skin and horns. It was attacking the ranger with a small hand scythe in one hand and a short sword in the other. Link did not have time to spectate, as a large reptillian monster approached him, clearly seeking blood.

The monsters had broken through the doors of the city, but had so far been held off by the forces. However, no one could see the end of the beasts numbers, and the gorons had only a limited amount of soldiers.

"If we don't do something fast...the monsters will take the city!" a voice called out.

"Well drive 'em the hell outta the city then!" A familiar, voice shouted back.

Link half turned to where the voice came, and was amazed to see Narid, the goron who'd been stationed at the pass when he first arrived in the goron kingdom. He held a massive sword in his two hands. He cleaved through waves of monsters in single swipes of the seemingly unwieldy sword as he yelled commands to his soldiers. It brought Link an odd comfort to see the commander here, even under such circumstances.

"Link, behind you!" Someone screamed.

Link spun around and saw a fierce set of pale green abdominal muscles. His eyes twitched upwards, and he saw the crocodillian head of the massive creature that had reached him. It held no weapon, but it's dagger-like fangs were dripping with crimson blood, and Link grew numb within his body. The monster's evil gaze met his eyes, and he stopped all motion. He suddenly felt empty, useless, without hope.

"_We'll only lose this battle..._" He thought. "_There was no chance to begin with...I've been a fool_."

The monster opened it's gaping maw, and reached towards Link, who made no effort to avoid the slow advance.

A glint of silver through the air, and a howl of pain shocked Link from his hopelessness. Warm flecks hit his face, and he shivered as he realized it was the beasts blood. Jareth sprinted up to him, nocking another arrow. He fired it into the other eye of the beast, which screamed in it's agony once again.

"Damn you, human! Damn you! No! My eyes...My precious eyes! I'll kill you both!" It screeched.

It lunged towards where Jareth was standing, too fast for Link to do anything about. He heard a gut-chilling "SQUELCH!" and forced his eyes to look over.

Jareth had ducked under the monster bite, and had driven an arrow through it's heart. He ripped the arrow out, and rolled out from under the beast as it fell to the ground.

"It's called a Twull. They have enchanted eyes that rob their prey of all hope. It essentially turns us into rabbits in the jaws of the wolf. Do not look into their eyes, if you value your life." Jareth said. He then ran back into the crowd of foes, leaving Link by himself again. Or...as by himself as one can get in a grand hall filled with gigantic demons.

He looked at the field of battle, and at the back lines of the enemy force, in the middle, he saw the creature his father had talked to in his dream. Gessith, if he remembered correctly. He stood, unmoving behind his soldiers, gazing at the battlefield with cool eyes. A smirk was stretched across his hairy elongated snout. He held his scythe out in his left hand, looking like a fierce flag-bearer. Enemies filed into the city in droves on either side of him, giving him a large berth.

_"They fear him._" Link thought.

"We're losing numbers!" A goron voice yelled. "The medics can't keep up!"

"Your kind can do nothing on it's own!" Alnahim's voice rang out, echoing around the cavern.

A huge roar filled the cave, and Link felt the air shift. Huge amounts of enemies were struck by bright luminescent yellow bolts of lightning, and Link felt grateful the wizard was on their side. He saw the figure of Gessith shift for a moment as his troops died before his eyes.

"FOES OF MY LORD!" The figure shouted, his voice a deep booming baritone, "YOU HAVE MADE A GREAT MISTAKE THIS DAY ON STANDING BEFORE US! WE WILL ANIHILATE YOU, AND TAKE THE IGNIS ROCK BY FORCE! YOU ARE NUMBERED IN YOUR HOURS! AND WE SHALL SEE THE WIZARD, THE BOY, AND THE RANGER PUNISHED ESPECIALLY!"

Then the dark figure dove into the battle. His malevolent scythe carved through the Gorons and demons alike, with no regard if they were friend of foe. It passed through the armor of all it touched as though it were paper. He hovered inches off the ground, over the bodies of the fallen.

"Get back!" Link heard Jareth shout. "Link, Alnahim, and I will take him on! You cannot defeat him. Retrieve the wounded, hold back, heal who you can!"

The gorons began to fall back at Jareth's order, leaving only Link's party at the front line. Oddly, the enemy forces backed off as well, making way for their commander. Gessith stopped before them, looking at them with his head cocked to the side.

"I thank you for making my task far easier, simpletons. I was expecting I'd have to destroy so many more of these pitiful fools before I could reach you. Now I get to bring you ruination with ease."

"I'd love to see you try." Alnahim said, smirking. His hands were open, and small balls of flames were dancing just above the palms.

"I second that." Jareth said, pointing an arrow at their mutual foe.

Link wordlessly pointed the tip of his blade at the monster. Gessith looked at them, and began to laugh.

"Oh my, you think you have a chance!" He chuckled. His eyes grew narrow, and he pointed the scythe at them. "Come then!"

Jareth let his arrow fly, and Alnahim sent his balls of flame straight after it. The enemy contorted his body so the arrow flew past, and the fire balls collided into his chest with minimal impact.

"My lord informed me there may have been a shadow mage among you. He made necessary enhancements to my form. You are without worth, wizard, a complete weakling before me." The monster laughed.

Alnahim stepped in front of the Link and Jareth.

"Leave him to me. I'll be pleased to quiet his arrogant boasting." Alnahim said calmly.

"You...You really think you can take me by yourself!" The beast broke out into roarous, choked laughter. "You saw what your magic did to me! You don't have a chance!"

"If that's what you believe, than perhaps you'd like to prove yourself?" Alnahim said.

"Very well, little wizard!" Gessith said, beginning to soar at Alnahim, scythe skirting the floor, sending up small sparks. A maddening grin stretched across his face as he drew close to the black-cloaked sorcerer.

Alnahim smirked, and floated lazily into the air, making Gessith pass through empty space, his momentum threatening to trip him. He regained his balance, and glared at the dark-haired one in the air above him.

"You'll have to do better than that." Alnahim said, casually inspecting his nails. He looked at Gessith, and gave him a hard smile, taunting him.

Gessith growled and hurled himself into the air, scythe hungrily stretching towards Alnahim. Alnahim undid his cloak, letting it fall to the wind, revealing his face, and pale form for the first time since arriving in the city. He wore baggy black pants, and a sleeveless black cloth shirt that showed the lean tone of his arms.

"Undressing for me, eh?" Gessith snorted as he reached Alnahim, who firmly planted a foot in the elongated face of his foe.

"Don't flatter yourself. Simply making your defeat more comfortable for me." Alnahim called to his rapidly descending opponent.

Gessith hit the ground, which exploded upon his impact, sending dust and hard missiles of slate into the air, hiding their view of the crater. Link bobbed his head to the side to prevent one of the projectiles from embedding itself in his skull.

"I think that's it...that's gotta be it" Jareth whispered.

"I wouldn't count on it." Alnahim said, staring into the dust cloud, his purple eyes glowing.

Ominous laughter began to echo through the cavern. It chilled Link through his tunic, raising the hairs on the back of his neck. He could feel the goron folk behind him draw back from that foreboding laughter. It bounced off the stone walls, and went deep into the heart of the city, it's evil tone filling the caverns.

A blazing blue shard shot from the dust cloud, striking Alnahim in the shoulder, which forced him to the ceiling. His eyes widened in shock at the suddenness of the assault. Then the smoke began to clear. Link could feel the gusts of wind emanating from the pit that Gessith's crash had created. He saw what created them, as the last of the dust cleared from the air.

Gessith's armor had broken apart, exposing a pair of massive mottled green wings. The faintest haze of blue-white surrounded his body.

"Shadow mage, you did not expect my lord to send me to fight you, without providing me a means to destroy you, did you?" Gessith said gloatingly to the pinned sorcerer.

Out of the corner of his eye, Link saw Jareth draw an arrow, and place it within his bow.

"Ranger, did I not tell you to let this fight be mine?" Alnahim questioned in a voice which bordered on casual.

"You'll stop underestimating me!" Gessith roared as he leaped into the air.

He drove his fist into the warlock's stomach, and smiled at the resulting expulsion of breath. Alnahim's head hung low, as though he had lost the strength to even hold his head up. Gessith moved his head close to the wizard's, and growled ferally. Then Alnahim's head rose, and he looked his demonic opponent in the eyes with his signature smirk. Gessith's growl turned to a roar and he began to repeatedly drive his fist into the wizard's stomach. Alnahim did not flinch, only rose one arm and placed it upon the demon's cheek, delicate as a lover.

"Goodbye."

A bright lance of white light fired from Alnahim's palm, and forced itself through Gessith's skull. The hazy aura faded from Gessith, who's face had taken on an expression of pure surprise and hate. He fell backwards, as if his feet were still locked in the air, and then plummeted back to the ground. He struck it with a firm thud, and made no more movements. The arrow which had pierced Alnahim's shoulder faded away, and Alnahim fell to the ground, landing in a crouch. He rose, and looked at Jareth and Link.

"He was a fool, using outdated information. As far as Link's father is concerned, I know only shadow magic. Lucky for us, I know magic of every sort." He said, and then allowed a small grin to break out over his face. The grin changed to a look of curious wondering as the goron people began to cheer for him, praising his victory.

With their commander defeated, Gessith's soldiers began to flee the city, making sure to avoid Alnahim.

Link and Jareth ran over to the wizard.

"That was amazing! You made it look effortless!" Link said happily, momentarily losing his distaste for the demon.

Then he was shoved aside, and saw Narid had approached them from behind.

"Ya did a fine job there, magician." He said in his gruff voice. "Ya saved us, and I thank ya."

"I'd not thank me yet, goron. That was shadow-Link's first powerful wave. He'll have more, and eventually he'll arrive himself. Our hardest days still remain ahead. Mend your living, bury your dead. We have a war." Alnahim said, as he strode over to his cloak and allowed it to surround himself once more.

Narid regarded the demon for a moment before walking off towards the medics area.


	36. Chapter 36

Innumerable soldiers of opposing factions clashed in the dim halls of the goron city. The sounds of clashing swords and shield rose from the battlefield, loud enough to half-deafen any unfortunate listener. The sounds of this were mingled with the death-screams of soldiers from both ends of the conflict, dying for their cause. Conquest and defense of home were butting in the halls of the stony city, and defense seemed to be losing.

They had been under siege for well over a week now, and even the powerful warriors they possessed were unable to hold all the ground from the never-ending numbers of Shadow-Link's army. The single goron race fought against all manners of beasts from across the entirety of the land. The majority of enemy forces were tall, heavily muscled, reptilian monsters. They towered over the short gorons like invincible green titans. Some of the gorons had thought them invincible. That was until the ranger woodman had made short work of one, sending it's bright purple blood to the floor in swaths. That had given the gorons the confidence they needed to fight back the against the invaders. While short, the gorons were fierce fighters, and the ground was soon stained purple.

Yet, even with such ferocity, they had been pushed back by the vast numbers. The initial battle to this war had begun in the high ceilinged cavern that greeted every visitor to the goron city. They had been pushed back several hundred yards over the past week, and were proud that that was all they had lost. The three human fighters had proven incredibly valuable, somehow undoing inhuman numbers of foes. It had taken four days until shadow-Link sent forth his powerful elite soldiers, the zora.

They entered the city with a fluid suddenness and washed over the goron forces like a flood of armor and blades. The beings were all of the same form as the human in the tunic, Link. Tall, lean, and powerful creatures with pale-blue skin, like a fish that hasn't seen sunlight in years. Dark empty eyes peered out from hollowed sockets in the long skulls. They wore thin armor, which provided minimum flexibility, yet maximum flexibility and speed. Three schools, 12 zora each, were dispatched in the first attack. They had been gifted with crafting prowess that rivaled even the gorons. Their swords were deep blue, like a sea from Link's world. The blades were three feet long, rising and falling in three arcs on the razor side, like waves, each smaller than the previous.

All in all, they came to the war like grim reapers, powerful and dark. They tore through the first line of gorons before anyone realized they'd arrived. They had that ability. It was as though they could just blend in to their surroundings. Then Narid, the goron military leader, had roared his notice of them, and the gorons suddenly found themselves looking into the emotionless eyes of the zora. Battle had commenced instantly, with both zora and goron taking casualties. The gorons had been driven back, but had finally vanquished what they prayed was the final zora. They had set up camp. Now Link, the ranger, and the dark one, were seated with Narid, and Gaius, talking about what to expect. Somehow, the three humanoids had gained enough favor with the king to attain the same level of trust a general had.

"What can we expect?" Gaius asked, looking at the four fighters in front of him with a look of mingled desperation and pained hope.

"We ain't got a lot to give. The soldiers're losin' morale. We can't take it much longer." Narid said gruffly. He was heavily armored, with his massive sword slung across his back.

"Do you not understand? We do not need to take it much longer." Alnahim said, as though with was an observation anyone could have made.

"Oh? Ya got any news, wizard? 'Cause I'd love to hear it." The militant replied, anger touching his voice. He had disliked the wizard the moment he'd laid eyes on him, disliking the way he hardly ever showed his face. How a genuine smile never touched his lips. Only that damned, patronizing smirk. Narid was of the opinion that magic was for the weak, and that swords and shields were the tools of war for the lion-hearted.

"The Zora are here." Alnahim said arcanely, as if that explained everything. When he saw no one else understood, he sighed in exasperation, and carried on. "The zora are Link's elite soldiers. He would not send them into battle unless he was nearing the end of his expanse, meaning he is. I say that this conflict will end, one way or the other, within three days. Within that time, he will stop sending in soldiers, and will come here himself. That is when we shall see if our strength is great enough. From my gatherings, we aren't."

"Then whattawe do?" Narid asked.

Alnahim looked at Link and Jareth knowingly, and closed his amethyst colored eyes.

"Link is on a quest to take something from this land. He has gotten embroiled in this whole conflict as nothing more than a distraction to his true goal. Three powerful items lie in this land. He already has one. With each one he gains, his strength increases. If he hurries, he may be able to get one of these items and return. With his improved strength, we may end up winning this conflict."

"No!" Link exclaimed, entering the conversation for the first time. "I'm not leaving everyone right before the battle comes. If he comes, and I'm not here..."

"If he comes, and you are here, you'll be too weak to stop him. If he comes, and your gone, the result will be no different. The only true option is for you to get the second piece of the triforce, from the heartless savannah. Trust me, I'd love to go along in a prideful haze, thinking we can take him down with the 'power of friendship!'" Alnahim said, mockingly, "but we can't. My magic is strong, and I may be able to hold my own with him for a while, but he's more powerful. The gorons here cannot beat him. Jareth cannot beat him. You cannot beat him. You need to become more powerful, and then perhaps our concerted efforts can bring about his end."

Link swallowed, feeling hot flames swell in his cheeks. He looked down at the floor.

"I still don't want to go..." He muttered.

"Link, it's best you do." Jareth said encouragingly. "We're all relying on you here. We need you to go do this. It's all riding on you."

"If it can save my people, I have to ask you to do it, Link." Gaius said. "Please...we need you."

"Very well" Link said. Then he looked up, his eyes filled with his characteristic determination. "How do I get out of the city, and back in?"

Alnahim answered him.

"I will teleport you out of the city, out of the kingdom. I will use my magic to send you to the heartless savannah. Then you must travel to the tribal temple, where it's held. I will also provide you with a stone. This stone will allow you to teleport, one time only. Use it to come back to the city."

Alnahim paused shortly.

"If things go bad...it's very important that you still teleport somewhere. Someone with a brain could make devastating use of this magic."

Link rose from where he had been squatting, stretching himself out. He walked over to the rock wall, and picked up his sword and shield, slinging them over his body.

"Well then. Guess I've gotta go." He said. "I'll be back as quickly as I can. Hold everything off until I get back."

"'course!" Narid said, smiling.

Alnahim tossed Link a small black stone, that swirled with an inward darkness. He then waved his hand through the air, and a portal of darkness appeared in front of link. He looked Link in the eyes, and gave a slight nod, which Link returned.

Jareth rose, and walked over to Link, setting his hand on his shoulder. He then pulled Link into an embrace.

"Be careful my friend. We've both lost too much to lose another we care for." He said sadly.

"Of course. Same to you." Link said, suddenly realizing how close he'd grown to the ranger.

"_Guess that's what happens when someone saves your life over and over and over_" Link thought, making himself chuckle.

Jareth ended the hug, holding him out at arms length.

"Something funny?" He said, smiling. He unhanded Link, and gave a friendly punch on the arm. "Hurry back. We're counting on you."

"Right." Link looked at the four people around him. "I'll see you all soon."

Then, he turned around and walked into the portal, which sucked into itself after him. Five seconds later, no one would have believed that a young man had been standing there.


	37. Chapter 37

Sparse clusters of brown dying plant life shot up from the yellow grass that covered the landscape of the region known as the heartless savannah. The typically dark sky met with the brown grass on the horizon, sculpting a picture of vast depression. Yet, despite these conditions, more animals lived in this region, than in any other region of the vast world. The broken sing-song chirping of birds infected the airwaves. Ferocious four legged beasts prowled through the grass, no doubt on the hunt. Queer three legged monster mulled around in small packs, licking each other with incredibly long tongues. More and more animal life strolled around, in their natural land.

It was all disrupted by a black portal which opened in the air above the cluster of three-legged beasts. It spat out a young man, who promptly fell from the portal onto his face, sending the animals bolting away at a surprising speed.

"I could have done a better job on the landing..." Link muttered, picking himself up and dusting himself off.

He scratched his head as he looked around the area, looking for the tribal temple he needed to visit. To his surprise and joy, he had been dropped right in front of the temple's steps. It was a simple structure crafted from earthen brown/orange stone blocks. A wide stairway led up to the entrance, which was a simple arch leading into a room dark with shadows.

Link leaped up the stairs and into the temple. He waited impatiently for his eyes to adjust to the shady interior, and when they finally did, wasted little time eying the scenery. 2 short doors stood on opposite ends of the room from each other, and Link approached the one on the right side of the room. It swung open with a ear tearing squeal, exposing the new room. This room was even smaller then the room before, though still square. It was only a few yards wide from end to end, with no door, barring the exit.

"Did I stumble into some tribal cleaning closet?" Link muttered, perplexed.

He turned from the small room, walking to the other door he had seen, believing that would show him the way. Instead, he was shown a room identical to the one he'd already visited.

"What the..." Link murmured.

Driven by his frank unbelief, he burrowed into the small room, looking for something that could be of use, or another door. Perhaps a crack in the wall? Yet he found nothing. There were only one or two small crates. Anger snapped into Link, and he struck one of the soft wooden boxes, sending it skittering against the wall. Link slapped his forehead in self deprecation as he saw the crate had been covering a hole. It was deep, and Link couldn't see the bottom, due to the shadows in the temple. He noticed that the hole was wide enough for him to reach his arm into, and so cautiously sunk his arm into it.

He felt his arm graze something in the hole, and drove himself in to the shoulder, grasping the cold hard object. Link ripped his arm back out with some work, and saw that his hand held a dull red gem. Confused, he left the small room, entering the larger entrance. He looked around once more, and saw that he'd missed a statue set into the center of a wall. He came closer, and saw that statue was depicting a man. The man was dressed in tight pants that flared outwards when they hit the knee, and an open dress jacket. A shirt came down to just above his naval.

Link was less concerned with the attire of the statue, instead focusing on the two hollows where the eyes should have been. He examined the red stone he'd taken from the hole, and tried to place it in the statue's eye socket. It went in, giving off a silence snapping click, and the gem began to give off a faint glow.

Knowing what he must do now, Link went back to the first small room he'd entered, and pushed away the crates, finding a similar hole. He grabbed the gem from the hole, and returned, placing it in the empty eye socket of the statue. The gem began to glow. Then the statue head turned, and stared at Link, who staggered back at the sudden movement. The statue pulled itself from the wall, sending cracks out like lightning. Link noticed for the first time the menacing scimitar the statue held.

"All right then. Let's go." Link shouted at the statue. It glared at him with it's two glowing red eyes. It began to move towards Link slowly, it's heavy footfalls cracking the floor. The slow gait of the sentinel was all Link needed to see in order to lose any thought of his demise.

He backed up, keeping out of range of the scimitar. He rose a hand, and felt heat fill his palm. A cone of fire spiraled from his hand, lacing around the stone guardian like orange vipers. The sentinel only continued it's slow, crunching walk towards Link, waving it's scimitar in a wide arc. Link let the flames dissipate to conserve his mana, and instead thought.

He brought his hand up once more, and a torrent of water doused the unrelenting statue. Then the water spewing from his hand was replaced with a gale of arctic blizzard. A cracking sound ripped through the air as the water turned to ice almost instantly, freezing the statue in place. Link ran up to it, and hurled himself into the air, and turned, slamming his heel into the frozen statues temple. It snapped, and whipped across the room. The eyes dulled once again, and the air shifted, somehow convincing Link the thing was defeated.

It was only at this point that Link took notice of the door that the moved sentinel had uncovered. It was simple, just a hard-wood door with a simple brass knob. Link pushed it open slowly, hand touching the pommel of his sword.

A series of "Tinks" and "Clunks" and other noises permeated through the room. The room was filled with people, actual people. Humans. Some odd part of Link was pleased with this, yet something made him stay back. Then he realized what it was. The foul smell of blood and roasting flesh was singing his nostrils. Faint screams were filling his ears along with the other sounds of work. The air was damp, thick, and moist, like that of a swamp.

He was on the top of a stairwell that led down to the work area where the noises and smells came from. No one had noticed the intruder, and Link crept down the stairs with delicate care. He clung to the wall, tip-toeing down on the far side of the stairs, to prevent creaking. While doing this, he looked at the workshop.

Most of the people sat at benches, pounding away on whatever it was in front of them. They were dressed in ragged clothes that looked like thy were made from the animals Link had seen outside the temple. Dull dirty stripes, thin brown fur, feathery garments, all sewn together to make something that passed as clothes, barely. Link was unable to see what it was they were beating there hammers onto, and did not particularly wish to find out. The room was in the shape of a backwards 'L' with the workers along the vertical bar. The floor was covered in white powder. Link reached the bottom of the staircase, with was positioned at the lower bar of the 'L'. He peeked around the corner, and saw another door, but realized, with dread, that he would have to pass through the work zone in order to get to it. There was no way he could sneak by all these people. Unfortunately, that was his only choice. The workers were directed so they looked away from where Link was, facing a raging fire that made the room a cozy inferno. Link slowly came around the walls, and sidled against the wall, praying that no one would turn around.

He made it halfway to the other end of the room before he made a noise. In his analysis of the room, he had not noticed that in the center of the room, a large circular grid of steel replaced the floor. He stepped on this, with made a clang, which may have gone unnoticed amongst all the others. The noise that got him caught was the small shout he gave off as the grid fell an inch. The grid was apparently not perfectly set, and so made Link feel as though he were to fall.

The worker closest to Link turned, and saw him, his eyes widening. Link could see the empty hatred in those eyes. It rose, pointing a long gnarled finger at him, and opened it's mouth. It gave off a horridly broken scream that made Link shudder. The other worker stopped mindlessly pounding away at their work and rose, seeing link. They joined in the original's screeches. Now Link could see what they were pounding.

Human bones.

The bones were broken and misshaped from the abuse of the workers' hammers, but were still vaguely recognizable as human. Link's stomach turned as he realized what the white powder coating the floor was. Then the screeching of the worker's stopped.

"What it is, Children?" A calm, classy voice called.

A new figure had entered the room, from the door Link had seen earlier. He looked to be in his mid forties, with thin wrinkles lining his face. His dark hair seemed to be receding, coming down in a sharp widow's peak. It was slicked back, and finely combed, split cleanly with a right part. A pencil thin mustache sat over the man's upper lip, and his eyes were a deep blue. He was garbed in a black high collared cloak that surrounded his body. Purple and blue runic symbols were sewn into the cloak's fabric.

"Oh, we've a visitor." The man said, smiling. His voice had a way of dancing over the words. In his speech, he held the vowels for just a slight bit longer than the consonants. "I welcome you to our humble home, stranger. By now, I presume you know what my children do. Allow me to question, why is it that you are here?"

Link hesitated to answer. The man before him was older, but not _that_ old. What's more, there was no way he could have fathered so many children of roughly the same age. The man saw the confusion on his face and laughed.

"Confused, are you? They may not be my biological children, but I father them, one and the same." He said, the smile never leaving his face.

"_How did he know_?" Link thought.

The man winked at him.

"My name is Vincent Reavis, but I prefer to be called by Vincent." He said. "Come, enter my study. I'd love to hear you speak." Vincent said, beckoning Link with an arm. He turned and entered the study. Link hesitated again, and looked at the hate-filled stares of the 'children'. He shuddered and followed the man into his study.

The room was large, hosting a large variety of miscellaneous items. One wall was wholly taken by shelves filled to the brim with thick dusty tomes. Several netted sacks hung from the ceiling, holding more skulls. Link forced himself to not shudder. The most intimidating object in the room, however, was a large reptilian skeleton. It was mounted on a pedestal, it's grinning head pointed at Link. Link was reminded of the statue he'd fought earlier. A comfortable looking armchair was positioned next to a fireplace. Vincent had removed his cloak, and had sat in this armchair.

"I ask once more, what is it that you are doing within my domain?" He asked, his smile still remaining.

Link tried to talk, but for some reason, no noise could come out. He coughed, and his voice returned.

"I am...seeking an object." He said.

"Well, that's interesting, isn't it? I too, am on the look for something, you see. Perhaps you can help me." Vincent said. "come now, sit, my boy."

Link's skin seemed to crawl at hearing the man call him 'my boy'. Vincent gestured to a leather chair Link had not seen prior, and he sauntered over, sitting down in it.

"You see, Link, I am very interested in...recycling, I suppose you could say. You could also say I'm a medicine man of sorts. As you can see, I'm very learned in the world."

"What do you want?" Link broke in, unnerved somehow by the man's speech.

"You saw my children, yes?"

"Yes."

"Then you surely saw how sad they look. And I ache so strongly for the day when my children were happy. I just want happy children again." He said. Link found anything that smiling face said hard to believe.

"So what do you want me to do?" Link asked.

"well, come in a bit closer. Prying ears are all around." Vincent said.

Link moved in closer to the man, against all his nerves and instinct telling him not to. The man brought his lips to Link ear and began to whisper.

Link didn't see the knife in his hand before it was too late.


	38. Chapter 38

The knife's sharp tip grazed Link's cheek, creating a shallow cut. Link jerked back instinctively, feeling the small stinging pain in his cheek. Vincent's smile widened, and Link noticed for the first time that his teeth were eerily sharp. Link made to lunge at the man, but suddenly found himself unable to move. He bared his teeth at the man and snarled.

"Now now, no need to get so feral, my boy." Vincent chimed. "You appear upset by your restraints."

"How are you doing this?" Link growled.

"I'm a necromancer of course." He said in mock surprise.

"Necromancer?" Link muttered.

"Yes, Necromancer. My kind is regrettably lacking these days. I do believe I'm the last of us. We were a tribe of sorcerers who were capable of returning the dead to the realm of the living. We were the greatest shadow mages."

"So...those people out there..." Link gasped, eyes widening in realization.

"Yes. My children. I told you I fathered them." Vincent said with a disconcerting grin. "But as I said...they all appear so sad. I want happy children again. So, I figured I'd start with you."

Link's heart began to pound quickly in his chest. He couldn't move, couldn't stop the necromancer. Vincent stood up, and walked out of Link's line of sight. But what he exposed made Link gasp.

The piece of the triforce had been hidden by Vincent's slim form. It stood on a white pedestal, glowing faintly.

The goal of his quest was sitting no more than fifteen feet away from him, and he was incapable of taking it. His mind filled with all the people depending on him. Jareth, Gaius, Zelda, even Alnahim.

"_Of course! Alnahim!_" Link thought in wonder. He closed his eyes and concentrated, trying to reach the pool of mana that lie within him. Groping around in the darkness of his body he felt himself enter the cool area.

With his hands bound, there was no way he'd be able to use them. He'd have to use a different exit point.

A trail of ice began to form out from Link's face, leading towards the pillar.

"_I may be able to get out if I knock over the triforce and make it slide down along the ice..._" Link thought.

The ice slowly moved toward the pedestal. Inch by pain staking inch it expanded. Though it couldn't have truly been long, to Link it felt like years. Despite the cold of the icy beam in front of him, sweat began to bead on Link's forehead, instantly chilled and soon after frozen by the cold wave coming off the beam. Just a couple more inches before it hit the beam.

"_yes! There it is!_" Link thought as the ice neared it's target, only centimeters away.

A fist, gloved in thin black cloth, came down upon the ice, cracking the path, and sending it falling to the snow in a mini hail-storm.

Vincent had returned and the smile had left his face. That was the only solace Link had. Bitter despair ate through his emotional defenses, and he simply wanted to scream. To be a child again. To scream about how '_It's just not fair!_'.

Instead, he only looked at the gaunt man regarding him.

"Hmm, I've made quite the addition to my family this day." Vincent said, his smile returning.

"I'm not your family." Link spat.

"That will change shortly. Now that I have the necessary reagents, of course. It's very good that you didn't dodge the knife strike. See, the necromancer's powers are mainly rooted in blood. Without that, I'm just another typical spellcaster."

Link, who found spellcasting anything but typical, decided to keep quiet.

"_I need to get out of these binds..._" Link thought. "_Ya don't say?_" his mind snapped at him. He flinched at the noise, which Vincent presumed to be of fear.

"No need to be scared, m'lad. It won't hurt for too long. Trust me."

An idea began to take root in Link's brain.

"_It may not work...but I need to try. And I need time._"

Link cleared his throat, and began to speak, "So, how do you bring the dead back to life?"

Vincent turned and looked at him absurdly, as if he'd asked how do you eat corn. Then his face lit up, and Link knew he loved talking about this.

"As I said earlier, the necromancer's powers are all rooted in blood. Blood Is lifeforce, and small traces of the soul are found within. Using very specific cants and magic within a short amount of time afterwards..."

Link pretended to pay attention, nodding every once in a while so he still seemed interested.

"_For once, Uncle's advice on women are coming to use._" Link thought, and forcing himself not to smile. "_Now...I just gotta break these binds._"

Link was planning to use his own magic in order to either cut the ethereal ties that bound him. That, or he would try to expand them so he could slip out. He focused himself on gathering his mana ,and pictured the ties around him as a bright neon green. He then imagined sharp blades of ice jutting from his body, severing the lines.

Nothing happened. Link cursed inwardly, and attempted his second approach.

"_Which element_?" He thought. He only had once chance of doing it without Vincent noticing.

"That's roughly how I perform the life ritual." Vincent said, smiling with pride. His hands were on his hips like a finely dressed superhero.

"That's actually really incredible. How long have you been doing it?" Link said, seeming genuinely intrigued.

"_I could use ice again, that would be solid. Water would be difficult to hold in place. Earth...I could use Earth...but I've never used Earth. Ice is best for now."_

Link focused, and concentrated on the places where he felt the bonds gripping him. Just below his shoulders, one around his waist, catching his wrists, and the final one around his ankles. He stared up at Vincent, and the world seemed to slow down.

He saw the fibers of the man's mustache jostle slightly as his closed and parted with speech. The faint signs of sweat from the warm fire close to them. The gleam in his eyes as he talked of his dreadful work. The bone knife he waved around like a conductor to emphasize his speech. He felt the sweat running down his forehead and from his armpits. The way his chainmail hauberk rubbed against his skin through his thin undershirt. How his sweaty, dirty-blonde hair hung in his eyes, and across his face tickling him.

Then Three shelves of ice jutted fiercely from Link's shoulders, wrists, and ankles. They cracked and fell away at the gripping force of the bonds, but not before Link leaped up and out of the damned circle. While he the air he grabbed the dull side of Vincent's knife and tore it from his hand. He landed behind him, and shoved it to his back, poking just enough to make the necromancer uncomfortable.

"Come now, my boy, put that away!" Vincent cried, panic hiding behind his generally calm voice.

"I'm not your boy!" Link shouted, driving the skeletal blade through the man's chest.

Vincent's body tensed almost comically, and he staggered a few steps away, the knife still imbedded in his back. He turned to Link, and Link could see the undying sorrow in the man's eyes. The sorrow turned to contempt quick enough to make Link flinch. He coughed, spraying blood into the air, and rose his arm, making his hand into a strange sigul.

"Damn you!" He coughed. "Children! Ravos! Take him! Kill your father's murderer!"

Then he collapsed.

A powerful roar tore through the room, nearly deafening Link. He cringed and looked over.

The giant reptilian skeleton he'd seen earlier was now moving. It's skeletal body seemed somehow very powerful, and it gave him an enraged look before charging. Link will several fireballs at the beast, and staggered, falling to a knee.

"_Damn...no!_" Link thought. "_My mana's out..._"

He rolled out of the way of the monster, which had stretched it jaws so far apart Link thought it could swallow the hole of the room. He pulled his sword from the sheathe, staring at the lizard.

It was very tall. It crouched down over it's two massive legs, and stood just over Link's head. The head was very tall. Perhaps the size of a calf. And in that head was a line of nastily sharp teeth. It's hollow eyes always looked filled with fury. The pale-yellow bones that made it up had a sort of empty sadness to them.

It charged again, and tipped over, crashing into the floor, sending many objects into the air. Link took the opportunity and leaped over it, and grabbed the piece of the triforce.

A bright glow filled the room, and the lizard beast shrieked as it's bones began to smoke. The door was thrust open and Vincent's 'children' began to stumble through. One by one the came, and one by one their skin bubbled, burned, and hissed. Their howls of pain growing and growing. Then, in the last second of each one's existence, it changed to a tone of pure relief and holy exultation. Then their body, blackened and disfigured, fell to the ground and never stirred again. This went on until no more came.

Link looked at the back of his hand and saw the center triangle was now two/thirds full.

"_One more..._" Link thought, and grinned. He looked over what was caused, and the grin fell.

Vincent lay on the floor on his left side in his own blood. Drying flecks were spattered over his lips. He did not move at all. The smell of burnt flesh filled the room even more strongly than before. Black, charred bodies of vaguely human figure were stacked over each other as the undead had fallen over each other as though in a mass stampede.

A grimace flickered over his face, and he reached into his pack. He pulled the stone Alnahim had given him out, and willed himself back to the goron capital. A portal appeared in front of him, and he stepped through it, praying he was not too late.

* * *

After he was sure the boy was gone, Vincent Reavis sat up and tore the knife from his chest. Blood slowly trickled down his chest, which he caught in the palm of his hand and brought to his mouth, where he lapped it up.

He looked at the scene of his roasted his children and Ravos, his beloved pet, dead. A howl of anguish burst from his lips, and he crawled over to the bodies. He grabbed one, and tried to put the head in his lap, but it crumbled to ash as his fingers touched it. He held the ash in his hand, staring at it dumbly for a minute. Then his fist clenched and his eyes narrowed in anger. He stood up, and through the ash from his now dirty hand. Hatred took root in his heart, and he realized that he hadn't felt such a strong emotion since his tribe had been killed all those years ago.

"Yes...but then I just wallowed in my sorrow and brought back as many as I could...not this time, no. Now I get my revenge. I will show Link No-name that I am not to be trifled with. And then...Then I can start my family again."

He then broke out into a fit of manic laughter. He kept laughing until a portal of swirling darkness formed in the space in front of him. The boy had left through a portal such as this. Was he returning so soon?

The figure which stepped through the portal was certainly no boy. To Vincent he looked to be at least 30, but it had been a while since he'd had anything to compare to. The man that stood in front of him had wild, long red/orange hair that framed his hard face. The skin color seemed to be a mix of deep green and olive, and a prominent nose was placed right under the man's sharp red eyes. He was dressed in mainly leather clothing, that Vincent observed one would expect to find on some desert outlaw. A dull brown hood was wrapped over his head, tucking into a scarf that covered the stranger's neck. A fashionable, yet tight leather shirt clung to the man's thick powerful chest. Long leather pants fell to mid-shin, before they were tucked into the man's travel-worn boots.

"Who are you?" Vincent finally asked, after simply staring at the man for a full minute.

"I have a name, but it is not me. Refer to me as Ganon, or Ganondorf. Either will do." The man smiled, and Vincent saw that, in a way, he was very handsome. He also determined he'd refer to the man as Ganondorf. Somehow, Ganon by itself made his skin crawl.

"What do you wish from me?" He asked again.

"I believe you will be able to help me. I come from a different world. One full of light and people. I have but one goal, and that is total control over the kingdom of Hyrule. But, there are several things standing in my way. One, is a troublesome princess who has managed to rally the people to stand against me. As sorrowful as it is, my own soldiers are highly outnumbered. But, I could easily achieve my goal were someone to keep my soldiers fighting." Ganondorf said.

"And why would I do that?" Vincent questioned.

Ganondorf's grin widened, and Vincent saw the touches of madness in that smile. And once he saw it, he couldn't unsee it. It was in his eyes, his mannerisms, his smile. Yet, it was a classy madness. Vincent felt he could almost relate.

"Because she is allied with another thing that stands in my way. That boy who just came and destroyed your beautiful family. He will come to her eventually, and my armies shall capture them both. At that point, you may do whatever you wish to him. Your revenge." Ganondorf said, sticking out his hand.

Vincent began to return the man's crazy grin, and shook the hand.

"Then count Vincent Reavis among your ranks, sir Ganondorf." He said happily.

"I prefer lord." Ganondorf said, but his grin turned to an expression of self-satisfaction and pleasure.

With their deal done, the two men entered the swirling black portal, and went to another world with ease.


	39. Zelda chapter 1

The sun began to slowly climb over the horizon, and Princess Zelda pulled herself from her sleeping bag silently. It had been only two weeks since Link had went to the temple in the south and gone to the dark world, though it felt much longer. Ganondorf had begun to send out his raiders across Hyrule to capture the cities and towns.

Zelda had been busy at work taking the citizens and arming them. Giving them some training. She had been trained to fight, and was now passing along the information. She pushed back the entry flap to her normal, very un-princesslike tent, and exited, enjoying the early morning's cool air on her bare arms and shoulders. She looked at the sun, cresting a dewy green field, and suddenly thought of Link. His dark hair that hung to his shoulders, and those sea-blue eyes of his. For a brief moment she wished he was here, enjoying this sunrise with her. Then she shook her head, clearing it of such thoughts.

"He has his mission, and I've mine." She said serenely. Yet still the want groped at her heart with soft fingers

"Fair morning, Princess." A gruff voice said, shocking her from her thoughts. She jumped and looked in the direction that the voice had come from. She saw Kaden, the large man who had been one of the first to join her. His thickly muscled arms were crossed and he looked down at her with a happy grin peering out from his dark beard.

"Fair morning to you too, Kaden." She said, a small smile displayed on her face.

Together they watched the orange sun rise over the camp. In the two weeks she'd been at work, she had recruited a fair amount of warriors. They had perhaps a total of one thousand warriors, mainly from the relatively small villages she'd visited. Some of the royal court had lived, even several guards, and had joined her cause. It was long, hard work but she never once complained.

The image of her father, King Alton, flashed in her mind, him lying on the ground under Ganondorf, blood spreading over the ground. Her father would have been proud of her for her resolve. That she knew. She shuddered and drew her blankets tighter around her.

"Is everything okay, Princess?" Kaden asked with genuine concern in his voice. She turned to him, and give a small, false-feeling smile.

"Yes, of course. Just got a small chill. I'm going to get fully dressed." She said, and turned briskly, entering her tent. She dressed hastily, not wanting to waste valuable time. She threw on gray cloth pants and a shirt of similar color. Clothes that made her look nice, but allowed her to move and fight if necessary. . She had no intention to wear any dress while in the role of leading this army. She did not like being caught unprepared. she pulled on her boots, and put her belt of knives on, draping it so it hung like a sash across her torso. Last of all, she put on her sword belt, and sheathed her two foot long blade in the leather scabbard at her left hip. All together, she looked powerful and beautiful.

She strode from her tent, and absently noted that the sun no longer made liquid fire out of the dew on the hill. The people she'd recruited were now all awake(aside from the guards of the previous night, who were granted a brief rest).

Four fighters were gathered around the front of the tent. She recognized them as Abel, Derrick, Marc, and Kaden. All but Kaden were little more than boys, not a day over eighteen she'd say. Today they were to ride into Nelsvin, and gather more soldiers there. She'd set up this group of men to accompany her in case things went awry. They were trustworthy, and admirable fighters.

"Shall we go?" Kaden suggested. Zelda blushed as she realized she'd been staring at the men for about thirty seconds and said nothing.

"Yes, let's go." She said.

The men and women went to the stables and saddled their horses. They mounted, and gigged them onward. Nelsvin was about ten miles away, so they should be able to make it there and back in good time.

"_So long as nothing goes wrong..._" Zelda thought ominously.

The party rode on in high spirits and talked amongst each other cheerily. All mounted on fine horses, with fine weaponry on them. That was what attracted the bandits.

They were moving at a good speed, when they spied a man laying on the side of the road. Red liquid coated his temple and the ground below him. The road was lined with thick bushes Zelda put an arm out, signalling the men to slow to a stop. She slid off the horse in a single sweeping motion and hit the ground, sending up small puffs of dust from the dirt road. She walked to the man, and squatted down to examine him. He made no motions, but she noticed that he was breathing.

"It appears you are very lucky today, my friend." she muttered. She stood so she could grab some bandages from her saddlebags when she heard the man below her laugh.

"He he he, yar, I reckon I be very lucky today, lass." He chuckled. His arm shot out like a viper and clenched her ankle tightly. Zelda gasped slightly, and instinctively used her free leg to kick the man in the head. The tip of her boot smeared the blood on his temple, and she realized it wasn't blood, but some sticky red substance. The man's grip broke, and she skipped away.

"stupid wench! Kicked me right in the face!" He shouted.

"Heyo, Beaumont, guess you were a real...hit." A voice said. The party all looked and saw a green-haired figure emerge from the bushes. He was dressed in grimy black torn clothes, and dirty old leather gloves. He was about Kaden's size, and of an equivalent muscular build. He cracked his neck with their gazes all fixed on him.

"Shut it, Jack!" The man named Beaumont yelped. He scrambled back away from Zelda, and leaped to his feet. He pulled out a sickly curved dagger, and pointed it out towards the princess. "All right, girly, gimme yer weapons, er else!"

"Er else, what?" Zelda said in a mimic of Beaumont's voice.

"Er else Jack here'll rough ya up, if ya get what I'm sayin." He said, grinning and displaying he was a few teeth short.

Kaden and Abel slid off their horses, and grabbed their weapons. Kaden, a battle ax, Abel a spear. They approached Beaumont. Abel didn't make much for an intimidating picture, with his short body and dark brown hair hanging in his face. Kaden, however, made a very intimidating picture to the bandit.

"Beaumont, I believe you are the only two bandits on this road." The princess said conversationally.

"Yeah, what of it?" He said jitteredly.

"Well, I have five fighters in my party, whereas you only have two." She replied.

"ha..haha, Jack there could take out all of you's." He said, his eyes shifting rapidly, realizing these weren't the typical people who came down the road.

"Quiet Beaumont." Jack said. "Now look, we don't gotta have any trouble, see? I'm a bigger guy, and have seen a lot of fighting in my day. At least one of ya may end up done for, and is it really worth it? So just give us the horses and the weapons, and we can all get out of here unscathed."

"Or, how about you go screw yourself?" Marc called from his perch on the horse.

Jack looked up at them for the first time, and saw Derrick aiming a very deadly looking long bow at him. He smiled shakily, and raised his hands to above his head. He then reach out, quick as thought, and grabbed able, and pulled him into a headlock, with his burly arms wrapped around Abel's neck. He pulled out a knife, and placed it into hollow under his jawbone.

"See? It could have gone nice-like, but now you've gone and made me do somethi-_OOF!_"

He grunted, and staggered back on legs that no longer seemed to want to hold his weight up. His eyes bulged and he gripped his stomach. Abel was looking out at from behind his locks of hair, displaying fierce brown-hazely eyes. A hard grin stretched across his face, and he straightened out his body. He held out his hand and let his spear drop.

"I'll kill you, you bastard!" Jack said. "Get 'em Beaumont!"

Zelda glared at Beaumont, which made the small man flinch and then freeze in place. He made no movement.

"Damned coward!" Jack said and he lumbered toward Abel. Kaden made to step forward, but Abel held his arm out as the princess had not long ago. He set himself back into a fighting stance and rose his arms.

The big man came forward, one fist raised to deliver a knock-out blow. Abel pivoted his body, making him come in to the center of the man's center of gravity. He punched him in his stomach, his fist making the hard muscle quiver. Abel kicked out the man's knee, and rolled backwards out from his fall path. Jack fell with a thud, and sent up puffs of dust. He rolled around in the dirt, trying to scramble for Abel. He rose to a knee, fell back down again. Pushed himself up, and got to a knee, tried to rise and fell again. One final time he rose to a knee, but simply looked at Abel.

"Go on. End it." He said with hate sharpening his voice.

Abel looked at him, and a thin smile covered his lips. He shook his head and remounted.

The rest of party, barring Zelda, looked at the mild natured youth with awe in their eyes. Zelda smiled, and walked back to her horse. She mounted up again, and set her horse going towards the town. The band of warriors followed.

"Citizens of Nelsvin!" Zelda cried out to the crowd that had gathered. "I am Princess Zelda! You're kingdom is in turmoil, and it requires your aid! Ganondorf has taken our capital city, and even now his dark forces spread out over Hyrule like a wave. He seeks to shut out our light forever! Will you sit by and watch as this dirty outlaw takes your lands? You farms and crops? Your families!"

"No!" The crowd shouted back.

"Then join me and my armies, we are small in number now, yet we grow with each passing day! We will drive out the threat of Ganondorf, and bring peace back to Hyrule!"

"She really gets into this." Marc muttered to Kaden.

"What can you expect, eh? This is her only chance to save her land." He replied.

* * *

First Author's note,  
I presume I'll be terrible with this note, but whatevs. This is something new I've been writing about Zelda's role in the final battle. Her journeys will bring her through many trials and battles. This side-story will likely be more political than Link's quest. I do not believe that writing Zelda's role will take away from the main plot, so no worries to the eight of you who care ;) . If this is something You'd care for me to continue, just say so. If not, that's all right as well. I believe this story will help to shape out Zelda as a character, since the story has grown so far away from it's roots, and she' hasn't been included much. Zelda's chapters won't count as numbered chapters, instead just being kinda there own thing. And of course, if no one likes it, we don't have to deal with Zelda at all. haha.  
-KingofGoblins


	40. Chapter 39

Link reentered the Goron capital in the base camp. Relief flooded his brain as he saw Alnahim and Jareth and Gaius standing around a queer looking rock.

"Hello!" He called to the cluster of allies. Gaius jumped at the sudden break in the silence, and they all turned towards Link. Gaius had tears shining like diamonds on his face. Dread wrenched Link's gut, and he noticed that the queer looking rock looked a lot like a goron. He was also aware of who was absent from the group.

He prayed he was wrong as he walked towards his friends. Sadness pumped into his heart as he saw he'd been right.

Narid lay in front of them on his back, eyes shut, arms crossed over his large sword.

Link's stomach turned. He'd not known the goron well, but he'd liked him well enough. He'd also been a huge asset on the battle. He turned to Jareth.

"How?" He said.

"One of the Zora got to one of his friends. He went into a rage, and dove into their ranks. He killed ten of them, but...they overwhelmed him."

"His rage made him a fool." Alnahim said.

"He was my son..." Gaius said, as if he'd not heard Alnahim.

"W-What! I thought Eldin was your son?" Link said, referencing the goron who'd been king when he'd first arrived.

"He too, is my son. Goron custom is to have two children. One to become king, and one to lead the military."

Link turned away from the goron king awkwardly.

"How did it go Link?" Jareth asked.

"Did you get the triforce piece?" Alnahim added.

In answer, Link raised up his hand, displaying the new triangle that rested on it's back.

Jareth grinned and walked towards him, and clapped on the shoulder.

"Great job!" He said.

"Thank you." Link said, smiling. For some reason the ranger's praise made Link feel some form of pleasure. "What's occurred since I left?"

"It's been a little over a day since you've left, and there's only been one attempt at a raid. A large group of zora came in, and clipped some of our ranks. Alnahim thinks your father's at the end of his rope." Jareth answered.

"The large force would lead one to believe that the numbers are dwindling, Thus an all out offensive. However, it would be foolish to send all your troops in at once, in case something catastrophic happened. I think we need only expect a single attack before dark Link comes himself. I hope that piece of triforce is enough." Alnahim said.

"So do I." Link answered, shifting his weight from left to right foot.

"That attack will most likely come in shortly. I suggest you rest yourself beforehand." Alnahim advised.

As such, Link departed from the group, and staggered over to the bedrolls, and slept.

He was awoke two hours later to the sound of a warhorn blowing. The final attack had come to them. He sprung up from bed, surprisingly rested after his short slumber. He picked up his sword and shield and slung them on as he rushed towards the goron line of defense. It was only then that he realized how dire things had become. A line of less than sixty gorons were all that left to defend the city. However the zora were in hardly better shape. At most, there approaching force had only one hundred. Yet, something seemed different about this group.

Their armor was the blue of cresting waves, with gold trim. Fish-like helmets covered their heads, with large black spheres where eyeholes should be. They were half a foot taller than the typical zora he'd seen so far.

They all also stood off to either end of a single zora, mounted on a strange hybrid of horse and fish, who looked at the gorons with an icy smile on his tight lips. His dark fish-eyes seemed somehow filled with arrogance and pride. Two swords were strapped across his back, with no shield in sight. He stood holding his helmet against his right hip , and looked from left to right, his gaze sweeping over the goron forces. His smile widened and, to Link, it looked like his head would split right in half at the mouth.

A hand gripped his shoulder, and Link started, turning towards the stranger and saw it was alnahim.

"That is Archlord Essent, the ruler of the Zora. He is also your father's most favored lieutenant. He is incredibly powerful, and incredibly arrogant. He is a foe to be weary of. Do not let your guard down for a second." He said solemnly.

Link nodded.

"_If Alnahim is this worried...Essent must be incredibly powerful._" Link thought to himself.

"Citizens of this goron capital, submit to me now. Save your few pitiful remaining ranks. Bow before the superior species, the smarter one. Join my lord, and you shall live. Oppose him and face my wrath." Essent boomed. "These soldiers before you are my elites. Trained from the day they learn to swim. You don't have much chance. With me among their ranks, you've none."

"Damn..." Link muttered. "If only we could weaken them somehow..."

He suddenly had a flashback to his time with his uncle, in one of the boring strategy lessons.

"Now Link, can you tell me what the most powerful weapon an army has is?" Uncle had asked.

"A sword?" The young Link had answered naively.

"No. Not a sword. Morale." Uncle said. "Morale is the greatest weaponry any army can possess. With it, a group of five hundred can take out a thousand. Conversely, With low morale, a thousand loses to five hundred. If you find yourself in battle, and the foe has high spirits, you must dampen them, or fear defeat."

To Link then it had just been another boring lesson. Now he felt it could help him win this war.

"_But how do I break their morale?_" He thought. There was one painfully obvious answer, but he did not want to do that, unless it was wholly necessary. He scanned over everything, trying to think of any other way. Yet none revealed itself. The two forces stared at each other from their sides of the field. One side from Earth, the other from sea.

"_I've no choice..._" Link thought.

Moving forward, out of the crowd feigning a prideful strut. Truly he felt like a man walking to the gallows. He come from the crowd, and looked directly into Essent's eyes.

"Ahhh, I see at least one of your ranks has the brain to join me!" He laughed.

"Link, what the hell are you doing?" He heard Jareth say. He paid him no heed, instead allowing a smirk, A la Alnahim, to spread over his face.

"Join you?" He said incredulously. "I'd not join the weaker force if you paid me. No. I simply came forward to say I don't believe your not half as dangerous as you'd like to think yourself. Why, I'm hardly more than just a lad myself, and I'd wager that I could defeat you in single combat."

"Link, no!" Alnahim groaned.

"You cocky little worm!" Essent hissed. Then he caught himself and returned his voice to the booming confident one. "I take back what I've said. This is, in truth, the most daft of your people. But I will display your foolishness, boy."

Essent dismounted and nodded to another Zora, who quickly came forward to move his mount away.

"_His pride shall be the undoing of his people._" Link thought, grabbing his sword and shield.

Essent came to him, and drew one of his blades. The blade was the color of ice.

"This will be all I'll use. It's too good for you." He hissed.

"_Let's hope that last piece of triforce has really helped._" Link thought.

"When I kill you, your army shall fall." Link said through his smirk.

"Prepare to die, little worm!" Essent spat, running towards Link.


	41. Chapter 40

The archlord charged at Link, and swiped his blade towards his face, hoping to end the battle quickly. Reflex and instinct took over and Link ducked down, bringing his own weapon to strike against his foe's ribs. The fishlike warrior curled his body, narrowly avoiding the attack.

Link saw the momentary shock on Essent's face as this 'little worm' dodged and kept time with him. He took pleasure in that look, realizing he was holding his own with one of the greatest fighters in existence.

They dodged and parried and rolled around each others attacks, two fighters who appeared evenly matched. The soldiers of either force were staring at this fight, silently rooting for their own champion.

Link was only a blur of green as he danced around Essent's relentless strikes. A part of him had turned off, and only vague half-thoughts floated in his head. Simple instinct and intuition kept him alive, flowing around the blue blade gracefully. He continued to dodge and block, waiting for an opening. Lowering Essent's morale. Then the opening was there. Essent, in his frustration at this silly Hylian, made a wide strike with all his weight. Link bashed the incoming hand with his shield arm, sending it flying out like a marrionette. He turned around, and delivered a powerful horse kick into The archlord's stomach.

Essent flew back in the air before hitting the ground, and hit it, tumbling backwards in a painful roll across the ground. He stopped on his back, looking up at the upper crags of the goron city. He lay there for a moment, before standing up, back to Link, and spitting out a long trail of black liquid, which Link could only imagine was blood. Essent turned to Link, and smiled.

"I did not take you for serious, child." He called. "But now child's play is over."

With that he pulled his second blade from it's scabbard. Link noted this one's blade was yellow. Essent made a 'tut' sound, before he slowly began to walk towards Link.

"_He knows how bad this could be._" Link thought. "_Now he's serious._"

His held his blades out to his sides, and he saw a crackle of lightning break out over the yellow blade, and frosty air roll off the blue one.

"Magical blades?" someone in the crowd said in wonder.

Essent began to run towards Link, arms out behind him in a V. He reached Link and began to hack at him with previously unseen speed. The air around the two became chilled, and filled with energy. The sound of snapping electricity and steel meeting steel ringing through the air. The crowd made no noise.

A haze of yellow came flying at him, and Link raised his shield to save himself. Burning pain raced his arm, making him cry out in pain. His arm sagged, and he hurled himself backwards to dodge the second attack that would have severed his neck. Essent followed, swiping at Link with a smug grin on his face. Link tried to raise his shield but his arm would not obey, instead just hanging limply. Link continued retreating and moving around the rough oval the two fighter occupied.

He tried to make his bastard arm move, yet it would do nothing but twitch slightly. Thus he was forced to use only his sword as a means of blocking.

"Fulgur can send electrical waves through anything that conducts a charge. It also makes the nerves go completely haywire. You aren't going to be using that arm for a while, maggot." Essent grunted.

"If you wanted a handicap you only had to ask. I'd have tied it behind my back if you'd wanted." Link mocked.

"Fuck you." The archlord growled, raising his sword and swinging it down like a beating rod.

Link took the opportunity to quickly slice his sword across Essent's ribs. He released an odd gurgling noise, and Link easily evaded his sword.

"_His anger makes him a fool._" Alnahim's voice said in his head. When those words had originally been spoken they'd been about an ally. Yet they fell rightly on this enemy too.

"You're Link's favored servant? You couldn't fight off one of the bat's that live in these caves!" Link said with a chuckle.

"Hold your tongue, you tadpole!" Essent hissed angrily. He slashed horizontally at Link, throwing himself off balance. Link easily bent backwards, letting the blade pass nearly a foot over his chest, snapped back to his point, and thrust his blade's tip towards the unprotected side in Essent's armor. It drove in, sending a loud 'CRACK!' through the air.

Essent howled with the pain, and leaped back several yards, falling to a knee. Link took a moment and noticed the looks of horror on the Zora's faces. Essent was taking in deep breaths, his upper body heaving with his slowly expanding lungs. He coughed, sending some of his black blood onto the ground. He sheathed one of his swords, one pale blue hand creeping under his armor to his wound.

"Kill him, Link!" someone shouted from behind. It sounded like Gaius.

Link slowly shook his head. He would not kill an enemy when he down, unless that enemy had deserved it. Essent was bad, but he'd not displayed a lack of honor. Link would only kill him in battle...even if part of him hoped that Essent wouldn't rise again.

The lord of Zora grabbed his weapon, and rose again. He swayed on his legs for a moment, before steeling himself. He looked at Link with his two swords in hand.

"You. Boy. Tell me your name." Essent coughed.

"My name is Link." Link said clearly. Essent's eyes widened a tad.

"I shouldn't be surprised." He muttered. "I shall defeat you, despite!" He shouted as he began to sprint at Link faster than anyone could have thought he was possible of. When he got close to Link he hopped into the air, spinning like a top, creating a sort of whirlwind of enchanted steel. Link was frozen in place for a second, before he fell to the ground to avoid the rod of lightning that sought to scramble his brain. He rolled to his right, popping back up, his grip on his sword tightening. Feeling was just beginning to return to his shield arm, and he noticed he could move the arm a little. The fingers themselves were still lost to him, but it could still help.

Essent landed gracefully, and looked over at Link. He pivoted quickly, bringing one sword up, which Link deflected with his own. Both fighters attacked rapidly, Link taking care to dodge the yellow blade. He presumed the blue one would freeze him if it touched his skin. As such, he had no intention of letting it happen.

"Who'd have thought the ruler of the Zora people needed such magical blades in order to best a child." Link said, hoping to goad the archlord into another mistake.

Essent was silent though, focusing on the battle.

"_Damn!_" Link thought.

Their sabers struck time and time again, yet neither warrior showed any sign of fatigue. Finally, Link did a backflip, putting some distance between him and Essent. He raised a hand, shooting out a bolt of lightning. Essent, who'd not expected such an attack, hardly leaped out of the way, and the bolt still struck him in the leg. He fell clumsily to the ground, his slim form twisting about. He struggled to get up, but couldn't manage it. His lame leg refusing to move. He glared at Link, and grasped his blue sword.

He brought the blade up and down his leg, coating it in a thick layer of ice. Discomfort ranged across his face, but still he continued. He stood up once more, managing it now, but Link could hear the crunching bones in his leg. He grinned a hideous smile at Link. It's chilling malice sent a shiver down Link's spine.

"You just won't give up..." Link muttered.

"Do you know why I'm so highly favored?" Essent asked. "Not for my swordplay. Not for my resolve. My strength lies in another area. We Zora have a certain capability of transformation, that can only be accessed by the most powerful of the species. I'm the only one alive who knows how to access this form. Congratulations. Everyone here gets to see it."

Any airflow that may have existed stopped in that moment. Essent crouched and the hall began to grow colder and colder, until it seemed as though they were in an icebox. His muscles bulged and a short waves of blue energy began to circle out around his feet. His body began to expand, growing larger. His armor cracked apart, and the harness that held his swords snapped, sending the sheathed blades shooting through the air like an arrow in flight. Thick white spines began to spear out from the crest of his spine. Thin, almost see through webbed skin grew in curves between each spine. A thick fishtail grew out from his back. Two fierce horns tore from Essent's temples, curving cruelly upwards. One arm grew into a heinous jointed crab-claw, and the other simply a clawed humanoid hand. Two bony spines grew out of his shoulder blades, rising over him. With the transformation complete, Essent stood over ten feet tall, and made an imposing figure.

Link turned and saw the look of terror on the goron troops face. Only Alnahim and Jareth seemed to escape the mind filling panic. They took several steps forward, and Link stopped them.

"This is my fight. I'll show how soft he truly is." Link said with more false bravado.

"You're a fool for declining their help!" Essent said, sinking onto his three usable limbs. His voice now had a much deeper, gravelly tone.

Link turned back to the incredible beast that the Zora archlord had become.

"My friends add to my strength, but I am capable of beating you on my own. Now come! To me!" Link challenged.

Essent's roared and lowered his head, charging at Link.

"Gorons! Back!" Link shouted, fearing they'd be struck by the monster's wild charge. The Earthen folk retreated back a ways, far enough that Link believed they would be safe. Only his two companions remained close. Knowing they could handle themselves, Link turned back to the charging sea beast.

Link sheathed his sword and shield, and pulled his bow from his pack.

"_Maybe the force of close range bow fire will be able to pierce his scales._" Link thought hopefully.

He rolled out of the beast's path, and placed an arrow in the bow, drawing back the string. He released the string, letting the arrow soar through the air. The arrow struck the scales and bounced off with no effect. Link muttered a curse, and shoved the bow back into his pack. He grabbed the thunder gem from the pack.

"_Alnahim will be pissed, but there's no point in wasting my mana when I don't have to._" Link thought.

Link sent bolts of lightning towards the towering opponent, who dodged it with unsuspected speed. It began to chuckle, a deep choking noise, and cracked it's neck. He rose onto his two back legs.

"Now you see. You never had a chance." Essent said.

"Perhaps. Perhaps not. I've felled monsters far larger than you." Link answered.

"While in this form, all my senses are escalated one hundred fold. I can detect you and anyone in this room through smell, sight, hearing, or vibrations. My power is increased more than you can imagine. It matters not the size of what you've slain. I am more powerful than anything you've ever fought." He said.

Then Essent was on the offensive again. He ran at Link, each footfall making the cave shake and shudder. Midstride, he reached up to one of the bony spines on his shoulders and tore it from his body with a wet squelching noise. Link saw the sharp edge of it, and knew Essent's transformation had supplied him with swords. Knowing there was no time to dodge, Link hastily grabbed his shield, bracing it with two hands. The bony razor slammed into the shield, and Link saw the metal indent with shock. Then he was soaring through the air from impact. He hit the ground on his upper back, and continued with the momentum, rolling back to his feet.

That was infinitely lucky, because had he not, he would have been killed by Essent's follow up attack, which instead slammed into the ground where Link's stomach would have been. Instinct took over, and Link bashed the creature in the face with his shield, and then backed away quickly to avoid the inevitable bone swipe. Essent growled ferociously, but without signs of serious injury.

"Stupid human!" He roared, swinging around his spiny extension.

Link heard a rip, and pain burst across his thigh. He looked down in disbelief, and saw that he'd been cut, and blood was all ready gushing from the wound, staining his dirty pants red.

A trail of curses from Link, and a few shouts from the goron crowd. Alnahim took a step forward, and Link raised a hand, motioning for him to stay where he was.

Essent was then attacking again, and Link dodged the attacks with special care now. His leg ached, and he could feel the blood running down his leg thickly, but even if both of them died, the Zora would have lost their ruler. The Goron would lose just another soldier.

The spine came down, slamming to the ground, and Link grabbed the dull side. He snapped it in half with his own sword, and tossed his half to the side. Essent looked dumbly at the broken weapon, and Link stabbed into his chest.

His blade chinked harmlessly off the protective scales. Essent roared, and backhanded Link away from him, before pulling the second spine from his other shoulder. Link slammed into a solid wall of rock, and peeled off it cartoonishly, dropping his sword. All the wind had been knocked out of his lungs, and he needed to breath. Essent came closer, Link could hear his lumbering steps. Then they stopped, and Link knew he was right there. Even so, he couldn't stop gasping for air.

"_I'm done..._" Link thought bitterly. Then he saw the broken half of Essent's spine. Somehow he knew exactly the perfect moment, and grabbed the bone, raising it over his head, blocking the strike that would have split his head in half. He realized with razor pain in his hand that he'd grabbed it by the sharp edge, but could only appreciate that he lived. Air finally returned to his lungs, and he rolled in between Essent's legs, and ran several yards away from the beast, making sure he was out of his range.

"_How do I win?_" Link thought to himself. "_He's invincible...no! That cannot be right! If he was actually invincible, he would rule dark Link, not the other way around. Then how? How do I win?_"

Then the answer came to him. Gone one second, there and fully formed the next. It was the like the answer to the riddle, where the answer is obvious after you know it.

Essent was looking at him with a shark's grin. Link returned it as he pulled out his shield, and swapped his grip on the bony weapon.

"You are going to be my dinner." Essent lowly hissed.

Then Link began to bang the bone against his shield, creating a harsh racket that assaulted the ears. Essent went cross-eyed for a fraction of a second, and the pressed his hand and crab claw against his ear holes.

"AGH! Stop it, damn you!" He shouted at Link. "Stop!"

Link obliged, tossing the shield and makeshift sword to the ground. He then pulled from his pool of mana, imagining harsh blades of ice scratching against each other, creating the high pitched squeal of metal on metal.

Essent fell to a knee, his human hand clamped over one of his ear holes, his crab claw digging desperately into the other. He howled with the pain of it, and eventually collapsed to the ground, making the Earth shake.

For half a minute, there was only silence. Then the gorons began to shout and cheer for Link. They rushed towards him, which the Zora thought an all out assault, and fled the caves. They hoisted Before they could reach the green-clad hero thought, he himself swayed, and fell down. Jareth and Alnahim were the first to reach him. They kneeled down and rolled him over, so his back was to the ground.

The goron circled around him, singing praises, while Alnahim examined the cut. He closed his eyes briefly, and looked at Link.

"What's the damage?" Link asked, suddenly worried.

"It's poisoned." He said. Link and Jareth both moaned lowly. Then they saw Alnahim's eyes sparkling, and his smirk covered his face. "But my white magic will be able to remove the poison."

Link and Jareth's jaws both dropped.

"Normally I'd be mad at some cynical bastard who made me think my friend was going to die. But, I'm too shocked that Alnahim made some attempt at a joke that I can't even be mad." Jareth said with a cheery grin on his face.

Alnahim placed his hand a few inches over Link's cut flesh, and small white, opaque waves began to file down around it.

Almost instant relief washed over him as the waves hit his skin and turned into a bead form. The bead then entered his wound, and he could feel it climbing his thigh and descending his calf, cleaning out the poison.

"That was a brilliant and foolish tactic, Link." Jareth said.

"It was the only that would work." He replied.

Suddenly, all the talking in the great entryway fell to a hush. No one spoke, no one moved. Link, thinking Essent must have returned, jerked, looking at the fishman. He had not moved at all. He swayed his vision all around the cave. Then his gaze fell upon the entrance.

There sat a rider, sillhouted against the sun, one hand holding the reins of a powerful armored warhorse. The only viewable distinction were the two glowing red ovals of his eyes. The figure looked in at the field of war, two flags raised up off the flank of his horse. Link could see the fit form of the rider, saw the nearly triangular cut of the tunic he wore. The tunic Link knew was black.

"Why'd it have to be now?" He heard Alnahim mutter.


	42. Chapter 41

The dark rider remained standing at the gaping entrance of the city, his presence somehow off putting. Alnahim repeatedly shifted his gaze from Link to the rider, as though he had to keep reassuring that both existed. The whole of the goron line stood in place.

"If he comes now, we're damned." Alnahim said.

Jareth looked at the rider, and stood up.

"W-Where are you going!" Link asked from his place on the ground.

"He can't come in until you are all healed. If he tries, I'll hold him off until you're ready." Jareth said, his back to Link.

"You can't!" Link called, suddenly flashing back to the last time he and the shade had met. He'd been no match, and Ekron had died. Guilt he'd thought scabbed over suddenly broke free, covering him. "You can't die..."

"Come on now, give me a bit more credit, eh?" Jareth said, turning back and winking to Link. "I kept him at bay pretty damn well back in Levid, remember?"

"Levid?" Link asked dumbly.

"The forgotten city. The capital, back when the world was bright." Alnahim broke in. "Either way, we're left with no other choice. If he attacks now, we're dead."

Link swallowed painfully, his throat dry. He looked from Alnahim to Jareth to the sillhouetted rider. He swallowed again, and looked back to Jareth.

"Just be careful." He managed.

"Aren't I always?" The ranger said, smiling. "Either way, I'm not attacking until I must."

"Good." Link responded. He looked at Alnahim. "How much longer?"

"Fifteen minutes." Alnahim said with surety.

"And if we stop now, how long until the poison kills me?" Link questioned.

"Much less than fifteen minutes." Alnahim claimed.

They all heard the slow 'clip clop' of approaching hooves, and looked towards the entryway. The unspeaking shadow was moving closer at a nearly leisurely pace. One hand held the reins of his heavily muscled warhorse. The other, a particularly long spear. He came into the light slowly and it washed up his body with dread suspense. As it finally crested to his nose, they all saw the evil smile on his face. All white fangs. Then the mask of shadows was removed by light and Dark Link was shown to all.

His thin, almost starved looking, pale face, framed by his long white hair. Red demon's eyes, filled with malice, just under which were the purple runic symbols that were imprinted on his face. He stood not nearly as tall as Essent, yet he was infinitely more intimidating. Before them all was the man who had single handedly conquered the rest of the dark world.

"It has been some time, Gaius." He rasped. "I presume you have something for me?"

The goron king came forward, no fear in his face, and looked straight at the shade. He then hocked and spit into the dirt.

"That's all I have for you, demon!" Gaius said proudly. The goron soldiers shifted uncomfortably, expecting the monster to go into a rage.

"_They must have been taken from the citizens..._" Link thought.

Instead of going into a furious rage, the specter simply laughed.

"I expected no less. I've always held a sort of respect for your kind, Gaius." He said.

"I wish we could say the same for you." The king grunted.

Then a scratching, gurgling sound came from the ground, and everyone looked down. Essent was fumbling in the dirt, his eyes black and gushing with the goop of Zora blood. The same substance leaked from his ears and mouth.

"L-Link!" He sputtered. "They...They tricked me. Did...this to me!" He gesturing awkwardly to his cracked body. "I am your faithful servant. I can...be fixed!"

Link looked at the figure who'd once been his father, and saw for a brief instant his expression change. It looked like pity. Then, before Link could even be sure it was there, it was gone.

"Essent, you have failed miserably in your task." The shade said. "Your failed efforts have brought shame to you and your people."

"I-I'm sorry." Essent said, his face seemed to be decaying before their eyes. Link shuddered.

"_How could simple noise do that?_" He thought with disgust.

"You served me well all the years I commanded you, and your people flourished in their domain. Now you've been reduced to this. A disgusting, decaying, formless being."

Essent moaned, his face sagging from his bones.

"I can...be fixed." He moaned. "I can be fixed...and...kill them."

"You can't." Dark-Link said emotionlessly. "You tapped into the final power of your people. You knew what would happen if your weakness was exploited. Yet you boasted. Yet you told them your senses were so formed they could be a weakness. Yet now you rot before me saying they tricked you. I knew your pride would destroy you, and now it has. However, I'll grant you one kindness for your years of service to me."

"What?" Essent cried, his skin bubbling.

"I'll remove you from your misery. Cleanly."

Rage flashed over what remained of Essent's face, and he lunged at the saddled warrior, his claw seeking to crush him. What happened next, only Jareth, Alnahim, and Link saw perfectly.

As the claw opened as wide as it could, Dark-Link wedged his spear between the two segments. The squeezed down in the attempt to crush Dark-Link, and the spear bent obscenely. Somehow, it never snapped, despite the massive pressure that was being applied. The shade then brushed aside the massive claw as if it were a child's arm. His other hand up, his palm glowing with evil energy. A single purple wave exited the hand and shot towards Essent. He tried to move, but was too slow, and the wave severed his neck, seperating his head from body. The head fell, hitting the ground with a dumbfounded expression on it's face. Huge bubbles began to bulge from the body in places, and within a two seconds of the event beginning, Essent's body exploded, sending remnants rocketing across the room.

Not a single chunk struck dark-Link.

The shade dismounted cleanly, and walked towards the head of his former servant. He kneeled before it, and placed a hand on the forehead. A muttered incantation, and the face changed from the brutish head and reverted back to the almost classy face of Essent's normal form. Then the head began to fade away, exiting existence. Once the head no longer existed, the shadow rose and turned to the army.

"Now let's get going." He said. "Gaius. I offer you a final kindess. To defend your people, and surrender to me."

"And I offer you a final offer to choke on your kindnesses." The goron king said. He grabbed the heavy battle ax slung across his back, and pointed it at the shade. "begone, destroyer, or face your end."

"So be it." The shade said.

Without warning, Jareth lunged from his place and tackled the unsuspecting shade to the ground. It resulted in Link seeing the first expression of surprise on his father's face he'd even witnessed. The two fighters grappled briefly, before falling to the ground, wrestling savagely. Link was reminded of two wolverines as he saw the two claw and snap at each other.

"How primal..." Alnahim said under his breath, his hand still sending out the waves of white energy.

Jareth rose, and both fighters drew their swords, which met harshly, their faces only inches behind their respective blade. They both pushed with all their might, and Link was once again awed by the ranger. His face contorted with effort, but eventually he was pushed off of the dark warrior, floating back through the air, landing and skidding back a few feet. He instantly rose his sword, blocking Dark-Link's downward slash in the last possible instant. He stood up quickly, twisting his arm around the sword of the shade, and grabbing it's wrist.

Dark-Link smirked and turned his wrist, pulling it from Jareth's grip, and punched savagely into Jareth's nose. The ranger staggered, his eyes half closing at the blow. He jumped back, blindly avoiding the attack to his neck through sheer instinct. He blinked slowly, clearing the moisture from his eyes, watching the grinning shadow.

"_he's toying with him._" Link thought. "_He took out Essent with ease. He could have killed Jareth by now..._"

The ranger and shade clashed once again.

"How much longer?" Link asked urgently.

"Almost..." Alnahim said impatiently.

Link heard a shout of pain, and winced.

"_Don't be dead...Please don't be dead._" He thought, while he turned his neck, forcing himself to look at the battle.

Jareth was not dead, not even wounded. The cry had come from the goron who had slowly encroached upon the battle with the two, club raised up. He'd apparently had visions of slaying the demon in his head. Now the only thing in him was the steel of Dark-Link's saber. A wave of relief rushed over Link, quickly followed with a shot of shame.

"_That Goron was someone's child..._" Link thought. "_And I was happy he was dead and not Jareth..._"

"Stop feeling bad." Alnahim said, somehow reading his mind. "The life of one you care for is worth the lives of ten million you don't."

"I'd be surprised to hear that you've cared for anyone, Alnahim." Link said in a pained joke.

"You'd be surprised..." He replied.

"_What is that supposed to mean?_" Link thought.

"The poison is gone. You're good now." The wizard said.

Link uttered a rushed thanks and stood up. He took a second to examine if his leg was fully healed. He slid off his pack, and set it down.

"Why?" Alnahim asked.

"It'd only slow me down." He answered, running towards the clashing warriors.

He looked at the group of gorons and knew that despite any efforts, they'd be useless here.

"Gorons! Take your king, hole yourselves up somewhere safe. Now!" He shouted to them. They obliged.

As he neared the two, Dark-Link spied him, and his eyes narrowed. He looked back at Jareth, and slammed a kick into the ranger's side, propelling him towards Link. Link instintively jumped to the side, keeping his pace, glancing back to make sure the ranger was okay.

Jareth gave him a comical thumbs-up while he flew back through the air. Link turned back to the dark warrior.

"It's been a short while, boy." The shade said.

"Not long enough." Link answered.

"Last time I killed that goron, right? They've been falling in such droves lately, I can hardly keep track of them all."

Though agony tore through Link at that, he used every ounce of his will to not let it show on his face. His father looked disappointed.

They hurled themselves into battle, sword clashing at unimaginable speeds. Most onlookers would later say they only saw flashes of light, and the occasional spark. Link was putting in one hundred and ten percent of effort, seeking to wound the man who'd killed his friend.

He ducked under an attack to his head, brought his own sword up, which was deflected by his opponent's sword. A shield fell, seeking to bash him in the temple, and Link skipped back a step, avoiding it. In response, he raised a booted foot, and tried to slam it into his foe's gut. Dark-Link jumped into the air, spread his legs, so the kick hit simple air. He then curled his legs around Link's and whipped himself around, made Link's world a blur of movement, and slammed the hero into the ground. The shade released his vice-grip on the Link's legs and rolled backwards, coming up to standing height, looking at the green warrior.

Link rolled to the left, expecting a sword stab, and pushed himself to his feet. He glared at the shade, who stood spinning his wrist, making his blade twirl.

"Problem?" The shade asked, displaying his bleached fangs.

"None." Link answered curtly.

"Then come at me."

Link did.

* * *

Jareth whipped through the air thanks to the kick that he feared had cracked his ribs. He saw Link charging into battle, and flashed his a thumbs up, hoping he understood the meaning of the gesture. He slammed onto the dusty ground, and heard the grating crunch as his ribs broke. He cursed as the pain surged through him. Alnahim was there, and he realized he'd landed almost exactly where Link had been lying moments before.

The wizard moved towards the ranger, his hands already glowing with the white healing magic.

"What the hell are you doing? He needs your help out there!" Jareth growled.

Alnahim smiled. The first honest smile Jareth had seen from him, and began to head towards the fight. He brought a hand to his chest, wincing as the pain flared with his pulse. His eyes shut for a moment and then reopened, his face beading with sweat, from both his contest with Dark-Link and the pain of his ribs.

He saw the pale-brown bag that Link used to carry his belongings with him was lying only inches away from him. He thought for a moment of using it as a pillow, but decided against it. He unslung his bow from his back.

"_Karina..._" his mind whispered. His wife had never truly left his mind from the moment they had parted. He was still haunted by images of her form possessed by the demon known as Magus. She had crafted this bow for him, and he never let it leave him for long. It was one of the few things of hers that he still had, and he held it dearly.

"Perhaps I can be useful yet." He groaned, taking an arrow from the quiver, and nocking it. He pulled the arrow back, and nearly let it go when a thought occurred to him like lightning. He relaxed his pull on the bowstring, and reached towards Link's pack, fingers shaking with excitement. Jareth pulled it towards him, and reached inside. Panic came to him when he felt nothing in it, but then vanished as he remembered a conversation he'd had with link. They'd been discussing how Link managed to carry all his gear, and Link had mentioned the bag he carried. All he had to do was think of what he wanted, and the bag would produce it. Jareth cursed at himself for forgetting such a thing, and reached his arm back in, thinking of the object he needed.

He grabbed a hold of something and pulled it out from Link's pack, and looked down at it hopefully.

* * *

Link's blade flew through the air faster than thought, while lightning bolts crackled and flared through the air towards his enemy. Somehow, the demon had remained unwounded, something Link could not claim for himself. One cut had torn across his forearm, another his calf. A tiny nick was created when dark-Link had clipped Link's neck. No serious injury yet, but Link didn't know how long he could maintain. Alnahim had joined him a minute ago, but still nothing had touched the shade. He pivoted 360 degrees to avoid a strike, and saw Jareth looking down at something in his hand. Then he was back into the fray, dodging, swiping, and blocking.

Dark Link back-flipped to avoid a crackling lightning-bolt, and smirked at the floating Alnahim, who smirked back. He landed, and his eyes widened when his foot fell into the earth. He tried to pull it from the ground, and found he couldn't.

Alnahim's smirk widened as he used his magic to crush Dark-Link's leg in the rock prison he'd created. It fell away to a scowl as rays of purple energy began to shine from the hole, and the ground exploded. A stray shard grazed his face, making a cut. The wizard didn't even notice. He stuck out both his arms, shooting out a beam of fire from one and one of ice from the other. His target managed to dodge both beams.

"_It's good my mana pool is endless._" He thought.

As the beams faded away, Dark-Link looked up at the wizard, and crouched low, before launching himself into the air in an attempt to strike him. Alnahim drifted to his right, outside of the range of the shade's sword, and formed a wall of flames in the shadow's path.

Dark-Link crashed through the firewall, and his clothes were instantly set aflame. Yet he didn't display any discomfort. He fell to the Earth in a crouch, and turned back to Link. He sprinted at him, a demon from hell, blazing with fire.

Link raised his shield to block the first attack, and bent backward to dodge the second. He rose, flinging his sword arm out, trying to impale his enemy. Dark-Link knocked the blade away with the back of his gauntletted fist. He slammed the pommel of his sword into Link's shoulder, and with a popping sound, Link heard the shoulder dislocate. For the second time in the past two hours, Link had no control of his shield arm.

With his one arm hanging stupidly from it's socket, he began to quickly retreat. His father followed, slicing the air deliberately.

Link's heel struck a rock, and he cursed as he fell backwards, hitting the ground hard. He looked into the air, and saw his father, and in the air behind him, Alnahim, simply hovering.

"_Do something you bastard!_" He thought frantically.

Dark-Link looked down at him with victory all across his face.

"Now you'll stop ruining me, boy." He said, and brought his sword up.

Link did not turn away, looking him right in the eye. Then something incredible happened.

Dark-Link's jaw dropped. His red eyes grew white, until brilliant shining light began to erupt from them. Then his skin began to glow slightly. The shadow dropped his sword, and looked down at his hands. Then he began to scream. Except it wasn't his voice. It was only the voice of shadows. The light of his skin began to intensify, until it became a holy blinding force, blocking out all thought.


	43. Chapter 42

Dark-Link staggered and fell to a knee, revealing the arrow that had embedded itself into his right shoulder blade. His skin still glowed faintly, and his eyes burned like he'd not blinked for hours. His mind felt like it was on fire, and his muscles didn't feel much greater.

"What is happening?" He asked aloud to the empty white world. It stretched on endlessly all around him. "I'm dying." He said, suddenly sure of it. Yet death did not come. Only the continued burning of his mind and body.

And in one instant, it was gone, almost as if it had never existed. He had lost part of himself, of that he was sure. Next, the whiteness all around him changed. It changed to a scene of his life. When He'd come home to find Cara and his unborn son killed, the blood sticky upon the floor of their kitchen. The grief he'd felt had been so intense it had crushed him. That's when he'd gone to castle town to kill the king.

Yet, that wasn't what the scene was showing.

He was cradling his wife's body and weeping. A shard of grief stabbed his heart. But then, a black-cloaked figure came before him, promising a way to reverse this. It was the wizard. Of course it was the wizard...it was always the wizard!

Dark-Link watched himself take the figure's vial and drink the tonic. Saw himself sputter, and accuse the figure of poisoning him. Then a portal of shadows formed, and he stepped through it.

The world was a spinning haze of purples and blacks as he followed himself traveling through time.

The man he'd once been was at home, his family alive and well. He answered the door to a knight from the castle. Time sped up, and there was a brief battle with an assassin. He and his wife parted, and Dark-Link was mildly surprised when the scene began to follow his wife.

"_It makes sense..._" He thought.

The woman traveled towards his brother's house and arrived after several days of travel. Alec came to the door, surprised, but greeted his sister in law warmly. The two of them discussed what had happened, and his brother's face grew darker and darker. His brother agreed to house Cara and the child.

Time began to flow quickly again, and stopped upon Cara giving birth. Her face was streaked with sweat, and was red with the effort.

Dark-Link, despite not actually being there, walked to his wife side, and kneeled next to her. Tears of happiness shone like diamonds in his eyes.

He placed a phantom hand upon hers, and she jumped, looking right at him. For a moment, he thought she could see him, and he felt shame for the monster he'd become. But then she shouted with pain, and refocused.

"Push, Cara!" Alec demanded.

"_Push darling. This is our child!"_ Dark-Link exclaimed happily to the woman.

"I'm pushing, dammit!" She snapped at Alec.

With time, the boy was born, and Alec held it up to the woman. She grabbed him and cradled him lovingly. Dark-Link brushed a finger across the lad's cheek.

"What will you name him?" Alec asked.

"Link." She said without hesitation.

Then time sped up again, dragging Dark-Link from his place by his wife. When it stopped, she was in bed, red-faced again. Alec and Link, now old enough to stand, were by her bedside. She looked too thin, and Dark-Link could tell her time was short.

"Link...my darling." Cara called weakly.

"I'm here, love." He said, placing his hand over hers.

She looked at the boy, who crawled up on the bed, and wrapped his arms around his mother's neck. She smiled shakily, and kissed the boy's head. He pulled back, and tears were running down his face.

"Mommy...I don't want you to go." He whispered.

"I don't want to go, little one, but I must. I don't get the choice." She said.

"W-why?" He said, his chest hitching with the first sob.

"I'm sick. The world is too much for me. But, no need to fear, little hero, I'll always be with you." She coughed.

"R-R-Really?" Link stammered.

"Really." She said. She raised one finger, and poked it into Link's chest. "Right there." and next poke his forehead. "And there. Keep me in your heart and mind while in this world, and we'll meet again in the next."

"Promise?" the boy asked naively.

"I...promise." She whispered.

Then she passed. It was quiet, and somehow almost an anti-climax, but Dark-Link felt more tears spring to his eyes. To be given his wife back, and have her torn away again in the span of such little time was devastating.

Time picked up it's pace once more, and the boy grew before his eyes. He grew taller, skinny, muscular, lean. Dark-Link saw all the training that his uncle put him through. Then the uncle staggered home, and died.

His son had set out to Hyrule castle, and met the princess. Seeing her kidnapped by Ganondorf, Link had taken pursuit, and had been grossly outmatched. He dove from the window and sprouted wings.

"That's awfully convenient..." Dark-Link thought.

From there, Dark-Link followed all of his son;s exploits, including his entry to the dark world.

Then the scene faded back to white, as his son began his trek to stone-tusk, the temple he'd set up as his base. Then even the white began to fade away, and he was once again in the cave of the Goron capital.

Link shielded his eyes for no more than thirty seconds, until the light died away, and then gazed upon his father. The malevolent red glow had abandoned his eyes, revealing a blue as beautiful as the sky on a clear day. The runes had faded, but were still visible upon his face. Aside from those two differences, he looked the same. The bright eyes faded and rolled up, and the man fell to the ground.

"I shot with all the accuracy I could manage..." Jareth said. He was walking slowly towards them, limping on his right foot. He was clutching his right side, and a grimace was painted across his face. "If I struck where I aimed, he should live. I dipped my arrow in the elixir Alnahim prepared, and got him. You can decide what to do with him."

"I...Thank you." Link choked out. He was in a blur of confusion. "_His fate is mine to decide?_"

The thought was both terrifying and empowering. He could get his revenge for Ekron's murder. The goron who'd accompanied him for all that time had met his death because of the man lying in front of him. But...he couldn't deny that part of him wanted to know that man. Wanted to hear a laugh from him not tainted with shadow. Wanted to see a smile not birthed of evil intent.

"Link!" Jareth shouted hoarsely, followed by a spasm of pain across his face. "You there?"

"Oh...yes. Sorry." Link fumbled with his speech. He turned to Alnahim. "Alnahim...could you go inform the gorons that it is safe?"

The wizard was closely examining the back of hand, a wolfish grin spread over his face. He didn't seem to hear Link.

"Alnahim?" Link said loudly. He looked up away from his hand, the smile fading.

"Yes?" he said. Link repeated his original request.

"Very well." Alnahim said, turning from the scene coldly, his cloak whirling around him darkly.

Jareth stumbled over to Link and sat down next to him. Link heard him constraining his breaths, expanding his lungs only enough to get the necessary air. Bruises and cuts decorated the ranger's face. He smiled a grin of pain, and then looked at Link.

"Tough decision?" He asked, knowingly.

"It's...too much. I can't handle that responsibility...I'm only seventeen!" Link exclaimed. "How can I decide someone's fate? Decide if someone can live or not?"

"You do. Every single time you step into battle, you are prepared to end someone's life. I know it seems different, and it is slightly, but you've made that decision over a hundred times your life. I didn't have the chance to know Ekron very well. We didn't travel as a party long enough. But he agreed to help me find Karina, and that matters." Jareth said, and placed his hand over his face, covering his eyes. "When I saw her, my heart leapt and sang, praising all the gods that ever were. When that...monster...revealed itself, I couldn't believe it. I wouldn't. I refused to accept that my love could have been taken from me...Not until the answer came to me. I asked her for a sign, and the storm came. At that moment, I heard her voice in my head. Telling me to go on."

The ranger's shoulders began to quake, and Link looked away awkwardly. After seconds of silence, he wrapped an arm around Jareth's shoulders. The ranger's shoulders calmed, and he looked at Link.

Link saw the tears that wanted to burst free from his eyes. "_He's held this all in..._" Link thought.

"I guess the point is, sometimes the answer isn't very clear at first." He gave a shaky grin. "It'll come to you though."

"Thank you." Link said softly.

"_All my life I wanted to meet my father. But he killed Ekron! What can I do? I want him dead, I want him alive, I can't have both! This will pull my mind apart._" Link thought, then a flash through his head, obvious the instant it occurred. "_He wasn't him. His mind was torn, broken. The thing that killed Ekron just got burned alive. Now it's only Link, my father. The man my mother loved. And...if she loved him, she couldn't stand to have me choose his death. Some penance must be paid...some trial proved, but I cannot kill him._"

"I will not end his life. The demon that festered inside him has fallen. His mind is his own again. He's also a nearly unrivaled fighter, excluding a certain ranger." link said with a wink. "He will be able to help us reclaim Hyrule. Once he's proven himself to be good, on the right side, I will allow him to join You, Alnahim, and I. Once I get the last piece of triforce, of course."

They were silent for a few minutes, simply drinking in the events of the last hour. Jareth broke the silence.

"It's going to be odd." He started. "The world, I mean. Dark Link's been the leader of us for so long, and now he's gone. He is, I suppose, the king of 90% of our world. He was almost always at war with the gorons, and now that's over. I guess the gorons and zora will go back to fighting now, as they did before Dark Link. They're the only civilized kingdoms or tribes of this land. At least, since the necromancers of the savannah wiped themselves out."

Link cocked his head to the right. A question formed in his mind that he should have asked the first time they met, yet he'd somehow missed.

"Jareth...You're human. Why are you here?" He asked.

"I was wondering when that question would come up." Jareth said with a laugh, wincing at the resulting pain in his ribs. "I'm only a second generation citizen."

Link, his confusion only growing, asked what that meant.

"My parents were sent to this world 30 some years ago. They were in the high court of Hyrule, though my father would only say anything about it when he was very tired. All they ever said was a powerful demon sent them to this land for defying him. I now believe Ganon to be that powerful spirit. The timing would be right. And I can't think of any demon aside from Ganon and maybe Alnahim that have the power to exile someone here. Only incredibly powerful sorcerers and demons can do it."

"That's terrible..." Link muttered, imagining the fear and panic that must have filled the two nobles sent to this world of demons with nothing. "Wait, but then what about Karina?"

Jareth winced at her name. "She was the daughter of another noble family exiled. Our two families stayed close together, for safety. We just kind of bloomed together."

"Oh..." Link said.

"Yes, it was-" Jareth began.

He was cut off by the sound of rustling clothes and grunts. Both Link and Jareth looked down at the black-clad form before them, and saw him move. He tried to push himself up, but his right arm, the one with the arrow stuck in the shoulder, buckled, and he fell. The figure cursed, and pushed himself up one handed. Once he steadied himself on his knees, and reached across his body and pulled the arrow from his body, grunting once in pain as he did so. He tossed the arrow aside with distaste. It was only then that he seemed to notice the two men staring at him. His eyes widened for a brief instant, then he looked down at the floor, his neck sticking out sharply against the black tunic.

He drew his blade slowly, and Link's hand flew to the pommel of his own.

"_Is he truly unsavable!_" His mind shouted at him. But the dark figure, only flipped the blade around, offering the handle to Link. Link grabbed it shakily.

"What am I to do with this?" He asked.

His father looked up, right into Link's eyes.

"I have been shamed. I have been a fool, and broken the trust of my only child. I slew your friend and boasted. My sins are too many to name. Now I let you take what you should." He said, lowering his head again, exposing his neck.

Realization dawned on Link, and a look of disgust passed his face.

"Rise up. I shall not give you the ease that comes with death. Live with your shame. Work to repay your sins. I'll not give you the release from your regret. And I'll not take the sword one such as yourself. I can feel the darkness coursing through it." Link said.

The figure looked up at him curiously, but rose to his feet all the same. He never swooned, despite the wound to his shoulder.

"I will do what I must." He said simply.

"Now I think we must go through the aspect of the gorons." Jareth broke in.

Link turned, and saw the gorons marching towards them.


	44. Chapter 43

The gorons marched towards them, Gaius and Alnahim at the head. When they finally reached the group, Gaius sneered at Link's father.

"So, you've been defeated." Gaius said with a smirk.

"It appears so." He responded curtly.

"Aye, fallen to the strength of our goron kind." The goron king said.

"Perhaps, though I only recall Link, the ranger, and the wizard. All I remember of you is all your kind fleeing." He said, the ends of his lips twitching into a smile.

"It doesn't matter. Link, Jareth, and Alnahim are soldiers for me. You fell to my army."

"I still live, and no surrender has been said on my part. I still hold the land." Dark-Link said.

A thundercloud of anger passed over Gaius' face, and he glared at the fighter.

"you've been the cause of much trouble for our kind. I'd see you put to death." The king said.

"My actions since arriving here have been foul, I admit. Legions died because of me. But I did unite this land. All except for your portion, of course. I ask that you surrender to me."

"You...I...What!" Gaius shouted. "Why the hell would I do that!"

"I just recently came to. But I was awake early enough to hear the ranger-"

"Jareth" Jareth broke in.

"Jareth, thanks, talk about how you would just go back to war with the Zora, as it was before my arrival. I own the land, and I own the Zora. My surrender will give you no dominion over them. However, if you surrender to me, you join my ranks. I don't support in-fighting, and it's known throughout my legions."

"What legion? We crushed them all!" Gaius questioned angrily.

"I have three thousand troops outside the pass. There is a whole city filled with warrior Zora. As far as I know, the number of goron folk are small."

"Lies..." Gaius said lowly.

"Not lies."

"Then why would you come into the city?" Alnahim asked. "Why come in if you didn't have to?"

"Despite being a monster, I still have a respect for my men." Dark-Link said, a tinge of anger in his voice. "I'd not send them blindly into death. So I sent Essent into the city, and used magic to form a mental connection with him. When I realized he was defeated, I decided that I'd come myself."

"If you have such respect for your soldiers, why did you kill Essent?" Link asked.

"He was a fool, and couldn't accept his fate. While in that form, the Zora brain is essentially spread out to make it fit inside the larger skull. It's softer, really. Repeated loud noises can be as traumatic as a bad horsefall. You essentially smashed his brain." He said with almost pride. "The body is closely linked to the brain, naturally, so when the brain goes down the body goes down. For some reason I don't even know, it causes the transformed Zora to melt like a candle. It's not a painless death. Imagine being so hot your skin begins to melt. Your eyes begin to bubble. Eventually, it's so hot your tongue bursts like a blister. Except, you can't just die. Your brain refuses to let itself die until it knows there's no chance to live. All the while you have a giant headache because some damn kid won't stop banging on his shield. That's the death Essent would have suffered. There's no way to reverse it once it starts. That is why I killed Essent."

"Oh." Link said to the ground.

"That's all pointless." Gaius grunted. "I won't surrender to you."

"Then how about a peaceful induction to my kingdom?"

"Why?"

"I believe I will be leaving this land soon." He said, glancing at Link and Jareth. "I need someone to rule in my stead. However, I wouldn't want my kingdom to simply fall. I am an outsider. I don't belong here. And I can't only have a Zora rule; They'd oppress the gorons. I can't only have a goron rule; They'd oppress the Zora. So I want a representative of Goron, Zora, and typical demons to rule the kingdom together. That is more fair then a simple monarchy."

"you've really thought this out, haven't you?" Gaius said.

"Actually, no. I've only had my mind back for a little over ten minutes." Dark-Link said with a charming smile.

"You killed my son, you know?"

The smile was swept away like a dead leaf in the wind.

"I am sorry." He said, never looking away.

"Inform your people of the merger, and get out of my city..." Gaius said, turning from them.

One of the gorons from the crowd came forward.

"King Gaius, Are you really letting him just walk out of our city?"

Gaius continued on without answer, in a haze of his own thought.

The Goron people turned and followed him, walking slowly, as though they were in a dream. The watched them as they went. It was the newest member who broke the silence.

"So, I presume you have the ignis rock?" Dark-Link said.

"We do." Alnahim said darkly.

The black tuniced warrior looked at the wizard with distaste.

"So you really are alive." He said.

"I suppose you didn't do a good enough job the first time." Alnahim said, smirking.

Dark-Link drew his sword, and put the razor tip to the wizard's throat.

"I suggest not mocking me, demon." He said threateningly. Alnahim's smile only widened, his purple eyes shining.

"Hey, guys, calm down. Can we save the in-fighting and arguing? Maybe for when we've been together for more than one damn minute?" Jareth said sarcastically.

"Go ahead, try to kill me." Alnahim said.

Dark-Link glared into Alnahim's eyes for a few seconds, before sheathing his blade once again.

"Let's go." Link said, heading towards the light outside.

The band walked in silence, regarding each other. Alnahim and Dark-Link kept as far away from each other as they could manage. Jareth made attempts to break the hatred that existed between them, but couldn't. Link simply thought about how different his life had become. It didn't seem like all that long ago he had been herding animals with his uncle, wishing he had a greater purpose in life. Now the whole weight of the world rested on his shoulders.

Eventually, they stopped to set up camp. Alnahim had Link use magic to start the fire, making sure the boy was still practicing and improving. Jareth and Link took the two dull sword they'd gotten from Fennic, the Goron blacksmith, and began to spar, practicing their abilities. Link realized, almost sadly, that now the fights were far more one sided. With the second piece of triforce, he was quicker and stronger than the ranger. The fights would last up to five minutes, but almost every time they ended with Jareth in the losing position.

"I guess I've lost some of my worth." Jareth said with a grin.

"No you haven't." Link said. "You're still one of the best fighters I've ever seen. And that's without magical enhancement."

"I suppose your right." The ranger laughed.

"Do you mind if I substitute?" Link's father asked.

Jareth looked between father and son.

"Uh...sure. Here." He said, tossing the dull steel to the dark warrior.

Dark-Link stood up and walked towards Link. He looked nearly apologetic.

"I didn't mean to be rude, but I figured I'd be a superior sparring partner." He said.

"Perhaps." Link said emotionlessly. Though he'd chosen for his father to live, he still couldn't quite forgive him for all he'd done.

"Right."

The two fighters adopted their positions and began to duel. Link could tell instantly that his father was going easy on him. The man was a master of swordplay, and Link had no doubt that he didn't really stand a chance. Instead, the older man made slow deliberate movements, giving Link plenty of time to block or dodge. He even allowed himself to be hit several times. Eventually, Link's frustration grew so much that he stopped.

"If you're trying to do me a kindness, just stop. Treat me as you would any other opponent. You had no issues doing so before this."

His dad's eyes widened, and then a look of mixed pride and pain came to his face.

"That...was different." He said.

"Perhaps it was. But do not disrespect me by going easy. I gain nothing by winning easily."

"Very well."

The duel intensified like flames freshly fed by bellows. Somehow, dark-Link's power seemed to have improved. Link was on the ground, with the dull tip of his partner's blade on his throat in under ten seconds.

"How?" He croaked.

"With the shadows gone, it's like my body is mind again. I imagine it's like being drunk for eighteen years and suddenly becoming sober. I'm greater than I can ever remember being." His father replied. He pulled the blade away, and offered Link a hand. Link took it, and was pulled to his feet.

"I think you need to improve on your reflexes for the most part. They would be incredible for most people, but they aren't nearly as good as they should be." He said.

"How?"

"Here." He said, waving his hand through the air.

Nine purple fireballs appeared in the air, in the formation of a square. Three in each row, three in each column.

"What's that for?" Link asked.

"to improve your reflexes. Stand with your sword, all right?"

Link drew his actual sword, and looked at the fireballs curiously.

"One of the fireballs with turn white for a brief moment in time. Strike it as quickly as you can. As you hit the balls more and more, the time they will be white will gradually decrease. It will keep going until you don't get to the ball in time." He said.

"Sounds easy enough." Link muttered.

Link looked at the square formation as a whole, waiting for one to light up. The one on the upper right column turned white, and link stabbed at it. A satisfying "Whush" went through the air as the flame went out and recollected itself quickly. Then the middle flame in the bottom row blazed white. Link struck it. Next, Right, Middle column.

Upper left...Lower right...center...middle left...middle right...upper middle...lower left..center..lower right..

The speed kept increasing and increasing, and Link hurried to continue hitting them, his body moving around in front of the square crazily. He would scan the whole of the square, then see the white flame. Lunge, stabbing it, retreat a step, and repeat.

Finally the speed became too much, and the white flame eluded Link. All of the balls of flame hissed out of existence.

"You spend too much time looking. Do not take a generous scan of it all. Just hit the white flames." His father said.

"Right..." Link muttered lowly, as the flames came back to existence.

He continued this exercise for hours.


	45. Chapter 44

"Where exactly are we going?" Dark Link asked the silent party.

"The tower of Nem. It's where the final fragment of the triforce is." Jareth said, a hard edge coating his voice. "One day of travel behind us, and another few ahead, only made possible by Dark's paranoi."

"I don't trust the wizard." He said, shrugging. "I think that's reasonable."

"It would be, if we were fifteen years in the past." Link said. "Alnahim's changed. He's helped us a lot along the way."

The pale swordsman stopped walking, and grew silent. The group. turned, watching him. After a few minutes of troubled thinking writing itself on his face, he looked up at them, then at the wizard.

"Very well. Use your magic, Wizard." He said.

"Ask my kindly, and perhaps I shall." Alnahim said smugly.

Hatred flashed across Dark's face, before being replaced with a cold calm.

"Please use your magic, Wizard." He said, curtly.

"But, of course, hero of Hyrule." Alnahim replied.

The calm fell from Dark's face like broken glass, and he made a lunge at the wizard, who blocked the punch meant to break his face.

Jareth glanced uncomfortably at Link, as if to say, "What do we do?" Link shrugged back.

"_This could be good...Alnahim's ego is too large, this could mend that. If things get serious we'll stop it._" He thought.

"Does something trouble you, hero?" Alnahim asked innocently.

Another punch was shot at the warlock, who moved his head out of the striking point. Alnahim shoved Dark Link away so they stood several feet apart. Dark glared hatefully into Alnahim's smug eyes. He reached slowly upward and pulled out his sword with a threatening hiss. Alnahim smiled coldly, threw off his cloak, and curled his hands so they appeared wrapped around an invisible sword.

"_What is he doing?_" Link thought. "_! What the hell?_"

In the space between Alnahim's curled hands, an object was coming into existence. At first, it didn't appear as much, just an odd distortion of light. Then it began to take solid form, forming a black hilt. Then the distortion grew three feet up from the hilt. Slowly, a wicked silver blade formed in the air.

"Pretty trick, warlock. But I think you forget that I'm the master swordsman." Dark called.

"Perhaps." Alnahim said confidently.

"You'll not be so eager to try me when I've torn your head off!"

"The elegance with which you speak is astounding."

"Enough of this!" Dark shouted, sprinting at Alnahim.

"So be it." Alnahim whispered. He settled back into a fighting stance, looking over his sword at the approaching fighter.

His sword raised diagonally, blocking a strike that would have blinded him. Alnahim smirked, and leapt into the air, flipping over Dark, and landing with his back to his opponent. Dark turned around, his blade slamming against the hard wall of ice that Alnahim had conjured.

"None of your damned tricks, wizard." Dark muttered ferally.

"I'll use whatever I wish to."

Dark pulled his sword back and swung it again, this time smashing the ice that had protected Alnahim. The wizard rolled to the side, avoiding the attack by a hair. As his body came to face Dark his hand came out, shooting alternating waves of fire, lightning, and ice. Dark's eyes widened as he instinctively hurled himself from his spot, hitting the ground roughly. Then he saw the jagged spear of ice hovering over him, and rolled away as the spear plummeted into the ground, it's sharp tip piercing the hard ground with ease.

"Jareth! Now!" Link shouted, running towards the dueling pair.

By the time they reached them, the battle was already over. Dark stood over Alnahim, sword lodged in the hollow of the wizard's throat. He was smiling icily at Alnahim.

"The next time you think of pressing me, remember I could have taken your life." He said.

Alnahim wordlessly raised an arm, pointing directly behind Dark, a proud half-smile on his face. Dark's eyes widened, and he turned, nearly cutting his nose on the three foot ice spear hovering in the air.

"_It...doesn't make sense._" Link thought confusedly. "_Only three days ago Dark could defeat all of us...Now Alnahim is just as strong..._"

"Uh...Well damn guys! Way to make me feel inept!" Jareth said. "I mean, I used to be able to hold my own against both of you in a manner, now you both go and wind up being more powerful than ever before."

Alnahim batted the sword away from his throat, and stood up. He walked over to his cloak, pulling it on with a flourish. Before the cloak totally eclipsed his body, Link noticed the sword he created was hanging at his hip.

Dark still had not moved, only staring down at the ground Alnahim had been planted on, a look of purest confusion on his face.

"Alnahim, the portal?" Link asked.

"Of course."

He conjured the portal, and stepped through. Jareth followed, leaving Link and his father alone.

"C'mon. We have to go." Link said.

"I don't understand." Dark said, mostly to himself. "I'm greater than I've ever been...and the demon bests me..."

"Dark, it was a draw. Calm down, and let's go." Link continued.

"A draw is a loss, not a victory." He replied.

"Whatever. I'm going." Link said as he entered the portal.

Dark took another moment, sheathed his blade, and stepped into the swirling blackness, almost sure he'd end up in hell.

The party did not end up in hell. The portal took them to just outside of a massive tower that stretched up and seemed to stab into the sky. Link had never seen anything so big and gaped at the impossible structure.

"So this is the dwelling of Nem." Jareth said lowly.

"Aye." Dark said back.

"Who exactly is Nem?" Link asked.

"Nem, supposedly, is one of dark world's greatest sorcerers. He was born in this land, and traveled for years and years, training with the magicians that our world housed. He learned all he could, but then retreated for some unknown reason. He constructed this tower from his magic, and has never been seen since." Jareth said solemnly. "From what I understand, that was about five hundred years ago."

"Well...I guess now is as good a time as any to end his streak." Link said, striding easily up the stairs and pushing the doors forward.

The smell of dust and hollowness filled his nose, so strong his eyes began to water. He sneezed, sending a cloud of dust rolling into the air.

"I guess he couldn't conjure a maid..." Jareth muttered.

"He constructed this tower five hundred years ago, we'll be lucky if he's not dead." Dark said.

The first floor consisted of only one large circular room, with marble columns inlaid into the walls. A teardrop shaped pool of water was in the middle of the room, covered in a layer of dust and grime from years of neglect. Along the right side of the room, was a staircase, spiraling up the wall, surrounded on both sides by a wall of marble. Link walked over to the stairs, intending to climb to the next floor.

"Be cautious. If Nem is half as powerful as we should believe he is, there will be traps." Alnahim said.

Almost as if on cue, Link heard the water beating against the wall with more force. He retreated from the stairs and looked at the pool.

In the center, the water was pooling together, coming out of the water, forming a hand. The water continued to pool and rise, eventually forming an arm. Then a shoulder. A torso. Eventually an entire upper body of water stood from the pool, forming it's head. When it was complete, the face was a rippling mask of rage, looking at the intruders furiously.

"It's an enchantment on the water. A guardian, to protect him." Alnahim said.

"Well, let's take care of it."


	46. Chapter 45

The guardian's murky water arm rocketed towards the group. Link raised his shield, feeling the powerful, surging force a moment later. He pushed at the torrent, and the water rushed around the sides of his shield, latching onto his arm. Link tried to rip his hand from the water with all his strength, but he was held firm. He looked with disbelief as it began to climb his arm, arching up over the ridges of his forearm and elbow.

Link began to shake wildly, hoping to tear his arm from the powerful grip, with no luck. The water reached his mouth, and drove itself in between his tightly pursed lips. Then it began to rise up, plugging his nostrils with it's thick mixture. Air stopped in his lungs, sending Link into a state of near panic. He began to beat his free arm wildly at the water, sending cool dirty globs into the air.

"_Damn Damn Damn Damn Damn Damn!_" Link repeated in his head.

The water began to become hotter and hotter, eventually making Link's nostrils singe and burn. He could feel the water boiling, the bubbles breaking against his nose. Looking around, he saw Alnahim shooting a deep blue flame at the pool.

As dark spots began to form across Link's vision, the water began to recede, exiting his sinuses. Link collapsed to his knees, gasping in air like a sobbing child. He had been on the edge of panic, and only had just been saved by Alnahim's flame. He felt two hands on his back, and looked up expecting to see Jareth.

Instead, his father was there.

"What are you doing?" Link gasped. "Fight, damn it!"

Dark's eyes shone with reproach and he stood up, drawing his sword. Link took another few moments to sputter, and choked a few breaths before standing and swooning back down to a knee. He looked helplessly at the battle raging before him, trying to recover as quick as possible.

Alnahim was blasting the aqueous enemy with repeated fire and lightning attacks. Jareth pummeled the beast with repeated arrows, and Dark was slashing at all the tentacles that came near them. The room grew hot and moist with the steam that roiled off the beast, and Link found he had even more difficulty breathing. A bitter haze fell across his vision, clouding all he saw. The haze grew darker and darker, blinding him. Before he even realized what had happened, Link passed out.

))))))))

He awoke some time later, his friend's all looking down at him.

"Wha happen?" He slurred.

"We bested the guardian, little thanks to you." Alnahim said.

"Shut your mouth, demon." Dark hissed. He turned back to Link. "You passed out. Couldn't get enough air. Luckily, we took it down in enough time for you to breathe again."

"good'a know." Link muttered as he put inexplicable efforts into sitting up.

Jareth came forward, grasped Link's hand, and hoisted him to his feet. He looked at the kid curiously for a minute, and then began to walk towards the stairs.

"Let's hope Nem is expecting visitors." He said, heading up the steps. The rest of the group followed.

The bulk of the tower was nothing special. Dusty corridors and stairways leading to the apex that jutted into the sky. Not a single window had been seen throughout the tower, so Link had no clue how high they were. However, his stomach did do a sickening curl whenever the wind gusted and he felt the tower sway. One such time he felt close to vomiting and stopped for a second to breathe deeply. Every once in a while, the group would come across a stray rat, or some other form of rodent, but, for the most part, the tower was without life.

After nearly an hour of climbing the mystical tower, they came to a beautifully crafted door that seemed to glow. Perhaps it was only the fact that it was clean and polished in a world of dust and grime, but it seemed to possess life all it's own.

"Beyond this door lurks a sorcerer supposed to surpass us all." Alnahim said.

"Let's pop in and say hello." Link said, stepping forward and pushing the door forward.

The door swung open easily and silently on it's oiled hinges, revealing a bright room. Link entered and felt such intense vertigo he staggered, falling to a knee the second time that day. The room didn't have stone walls. Instead, they were made of glass, and the floor was somehow enchanted, making the viewer appear as though they were standing on air fifteen thousand feet off the ground. The effect was enough to make Link, never great with heights, uttered a hoarse scream. For one, gut-wrenching second, he could feel himself falling, the wind catching the hollows in his cheeks, pushing them up in a comical mad smile. The look that would decorate his face up until it would crush itself on the ground below.

Then he gathered himself, and forced himself to open his clenched eyes, and knew he was not falling. Alnahim and Jareth entered with no problem, and Dark's eyes only widened for a fraction of a second.

"So, you've all intruded into my home." an old gravelly voice said.

It was only then that Link noticed the tall old man standing in the room. He wore a dusty gray robe with gold lining and trim. The decorations on the robe appeared to be of some runic language, and glowed eerily. The stranger had a long beard which fell nearly to his sternum. It sprouted down from his face and flowed down his body like how a river looks on a map. The man's face was very wrinkled, almost emaciated from the thinness. His skin looked as though it would flake off in a hard breeze. Long gray eyebrows stuck out above the man's eyes, going so far out they ended just above his ears. His eyes were the only part of him that didn't look half dead. They were a vibrant emerald green, and sparkled like the gem.

"I presume you are Nem?" Alnahim said.

"I am." The sorcerer said simply.

"You look as though you've seen better days." Alnahim said snidely.

"Perhaps I have. Feel free to see." Nem answered with a scowl. "Why have you come here?"

"Sir, please forgive my friend. He is brash and overly egotistical." Link began.

"Hey-" Alnahim broke in.

"You see, there is something we need, and it's rumored to be here." He finished.

"Perhaps I can help you, lad. What is it you need?"

"A fragment of a mystical item, known as the triforce." Link replied.

Nem's face dropped in shock, and he began to chuckle. He looked at Link with disbelief.

"You...you mean it, lad?" He laughed.

"Yes. What's so funny about that?"

"Why would I give you the source to my power?" Nem asked through his laughter. "I've got the golden goddesses' triforce, and the shadowy triforce of wisdom. I'm the strongest person on the planet, and you expect me to give it up. That's rich!"

"_If Nem's got the shade's triforce of wisdom, and Alnahim had the one of power...who had courage? Nem is Zelda's counterpart. Alnahim is Ganondorf's. Who's mine?_"

"I think you'll find yourself mistaken, Nem." Link began. "You see, I myself have a whole piece of the light triforce. The one of courage. And two parts of this world's fragment. Alnahim, my rude companion, has the darker triforce of power."

"I'm not that ru-"

"This pale bastard to my right is Dark Link, the man who single handedly conquered this land."

"Pale bastard?"

"And to my left is the ranger Jareth, who held his own with all of us without a piece of the triforce. So I think you are a tad outmatched, even with your two pieces." Link finished.

The elderly sorcerer looked at the group of stranger's who'd entered his tower, and thought for a moment. One gnarled hand came up and began to stroke his beard slowly. He looked directly at Link.

"No." He said simply.

"No?" Link asked dumbly. "What do you mean no?"

"No." Nem restated. "I'll not give it to you."

"I think it's truly in your best interest to give us the triforce." Jareth chimed in.

"I'd really rather not." Nem responded.

"Wha-why? Why don't you just give it to us? Honestly? It's just going to end up a huge battle, and I don't want that. So just give us the triforce, and we'll leave, and you can stay here in your tower." Link ranted in frustration.

"I've lived in this tower six hundred years. Do you even know why? Or has the reason been lost to the world?" The old one asked.

"I'm new here. I don't know anything." Link answered heatedly.

"I was a young magician from the province of Damascia. This was six hundred thirty years ago. The world was not quite as dark as it is now, only beginning it's slow decline. The black cloud had not yet rolled in from the north, signaling that evil beast's coming. I wanted to be the very best. Like no one ever was. I moved from province to province, learning all the magic I could. In those days, the different provinces were most proficient in one sort of magic. We Damascians were skilled in air magic. Our southern neighbors, Cherma, were gifted with fire. My only unfruitful journey was to Mortem, the province of the necromancers. I journeyed there after learning air, earth, fire, ice, and light magic. I sought out the way to return the dead to life for reasons that I'll not relate to any of you.

I journeyed to there tribal temple, which was, at the time, a towering monolithic structure of obsidian. It was said to be the highest structure in the world, and I thought it the ugliest I'd ever seen. I entered their temple, seeking the high priest. I found him, and professed my interest in the art of necromancy, and he denied to teach me. Instead, he enslaved me for seven years. They had me do all sorts of work. Cleaning, fighting, entertainment. But always they kept me out of view of the necromancy. It finally came that I escaped. However, when escaping, I was caught by the high priest. He and I dueled briefly, resulting in his demise. With his dying breath, he cursed me. That curse made the very air I loved so much, the sweet air of freedom, corrode my skin. Corrode the whole of my essence. So I built this tower, and made it five times as high as that damn temple of theirs. I holed myself away in this tower, researching for a cure. After six hundred years, I've found none. I have not truly lived in six hundred years. I will die soon, yes. I'd rather die in battle, with adrenaline filling my veins."

the group was silent for a moment, glancing at each other. They were torn from their thoughts by the sound of shattering glass. Nem had used his body as a nexus point, shooting out air in all directions, shattering the windows. He began to hover over the ground, and zoomed out of the tower, facing the travelers.

"Face me! Face me and slay me for your cause!" Nem cackled.


	47. Chapter 46

"Is this guy serious!" Jareth shouted.

Alnahim wordlessly bounded after the elderly wizard and leaped into the air, his cloak flapping behind him like the wings of a demonic bat.

Jareth, Link, and Dark looked at each other awkwardly.

"Anyone here fly? Anyone? No? No flying? Cool." Jareth said jokingly.

Alnahim tore through the air, the wind sending tiny needles of ice burrowing into his skull. His jet black hair whipped back as he chased after the older spell caster. The others were gone now, and his mind was happy with the thrill of the hunt. A bare glint of feral being lurked underneath his usually calm mind, and it was in full view now. His teeth bared like fangs, his amethyst eyes sweeping the landscape.

There. The flapping white beard, sticking out against the gray clouds. Alnahim turned into a hard dive towards the old man, who whirled around, sending a horizontal wave of bright orange fire at the demonic sorcerer. Alnahim smirked as he easily rose over the wave. Small blossoms of flame began to pop up randomly in the air, making it an asteroid field. As the blossoms began to expand, Alnahim allowed himself to fall, dropping into a steep dive, exiting the range of the blasts. The instant he was safe, he pulled out of his dive, again climbing towards Nem.

The old one stuck both hands out shooting out flurries of icy hell. Alnahim flattened himself, and surrounded himself with a flaming aura, passing through the white blizzard warmly. He was face to face with the one who was supposedly the best. Nem raised his hand, and Alnahim saw the Earthen element wrapped around the frail man's fist. He crossed his arms in front of his face, taking the heavy blow to his forearms, spinning back through the air like a rag doll. He spread eagled his body and used his power over the wind to make himself stop. Despite the pain raging in his arms, he was grinning happily. He reached one hand out, briefly looking at the two glowing triangles on the back of it, before shooting out a rainbow wave of ice, fire, earth, water, wind, shadow, and light. He saw the look of surprise on Nem's face, who rose in the air to avoid the wave.

The old man was too slow, and the attack clipped his foot, sending him reeling in the air. He readied himself and looked curiously at Alnahim.

"You know many magics, demon." Nem shouted across the distance between them.

"Naturally. I am the greatest mage either world has ever seen." Alnahim answered.

"We shall see, you ignorant child!" He said, speeding towards Alnahim.

The desire to grab his sword and use it to defeat this sack of bones was powerful, but Alnahim restrained it. He wanted to prove his magic was greater. As such, he edged his knuckles with a razor flame, waiting for Nem to reach him. When he did, he shot out five rapid fire punches, which the old man dodged with surprising acrobatics. Then Alnahim was flying through the air, his right cheek flaring dully with pain. He looked back, aghast, and saw the old one had kicked him.

"How?" He muttered.

"You forget, boy, that I was from the province of the wind. It is my greatest attribute." Nem's voice reached him. "If this is the extent of your abilities, I think it best you return to whatever barren waste you call home!"

Alnahim stalled himself, and looked at the old man.

"Old one! You seek to draw out my strength. I shall show you but a taste!"

Alnahim began to gather his power, the air darkening as the energy became too much to reside only within his body. The aura gathered itself into dozens of small orbs, and small grins began to break out over them. Wide white crescent moons against the black orbs of Alnahim's energy. Alnahim raised his hand into the air, straight up. Then his arm fell, pointing towards Nem. The spheres of energy began to laugh, a horrible choking sound, and began to chase after the old man, who immediately began to fly away.

The orbs followed him relentlessly, their terrible laughter polluting the air with a thick black fog. Nem half turned in his flight, conjuring a thick wall of earth to hide behind. The spheres broke through the wall effortlessly, laughing manically at the old man's attempt at defense. Nem cursed, and resumed his high speed flight, the black fog covering more and more of the area. Blasts of flame, walls of ice and Earth, shots of wind. None of them stalled the laughing orbs of energy. Alnahim smiled as the man fled his energy, not realizing the true intent of the orbs.

Powerful orbs of magic they may be, and having one hit you would certainly be painful, but the greater benefit was the thick cloud they created. It would block at all sight on the part of the old man, meaning only Alnahim would be able to see. Then the battle would be simple. No amount of wind magic should be able to blow away such thick fog quickly, and he wouldn't give Nem enough time to gather the energy for it.

"Be proud, old one, I've never used this attack on anyone!" Alnahim shouted.

Nem stopped for a fraction of a second, and one of the orbs caught his foot. It exploded like glass, sending a massive amount of the gas shooting into the air with a hiss. Nem shuddered, and noticed the thick gas. No movement was made, and the rest of the orbs crashed into his chest, sending him recoiling back like a man shot with a dozen arrows. The fog was complete.

Alnahim raced into the black-green fog, noting the overpowering scent of rotting corpses. Dark energy covered his arms and hands, turning his fingers to claws. He saw the old man trying to fly through the cloud, and shot towards him, delivering a light scratch along the man's back. He turned back around, and gifted the man with a deeper scratch along his chest. Nem stumbled back in the air, shooting out flames around him in alternating horizontal, diagonal, and vertical waves. Alnahim eased himself, dodging the attacks easily with his sharp sight. He came behind the old wizard silently. He moved his head forward, just behind Nem's ear.

"You're dead." He whispered before darting up as the old man whirled around, a razor circle of ice whipping out from the tips of his fingers. Alnahim dropped behind him once again, and uttered a self confident laughter.

"You're trick shall not work on me, demon!" Nem shouted into the empty blackness. The air shifted as Nem began to gather his own strength.

"Uh uh." Alnahim scolded, driving a deep gash along the man's forearm. Shocked from his concentration, the man flinched and wrapped his thin hand around the cut.

Alnahim scowled at the man. He'd expected a sort of peaceful pride to settle over him. A form of wholeness and rightness that came with pushing yourself. It was why he'd goaded the fallen hero into battle earlier. Yet it never came. The old one could not have been trying very hard, or perhaps he was truly this weak. Alnahim desired to be pushed to his limit. Farther than he'd ever been pushed. To unleash his most powerful abilities...especially one in particular. The stories about Nem were false. The man was weak. His master technique would have to wait.

"Old one. Your mind and magic have grown frail along with your body. I will remove you from this world." Alnahim said emotionlessly. "First, let's clear away this fog. You are unworthy of it."

"You arrogant little - OOF" Nem growled, cut off by Alnahim's glowing backhand. The fog began to recede, sucked into the demonic wizard's pores. With time, it all cleared away, The old wizard glaring at Alnahim, one arm hanging limply, long shallow cuts across his face sending crimson beads down like warpaint.

"I'll end you, boy!" Nem muttered.

"Silence yourself, you incompetent!" Alnahim commanded.

"Incompetent I may seem, but you've not seen the extent of my ability." Nem said, his dull eyes clearing.

"By all means, display any last ditch efforts." the demon said snidely.

Nem's eyes began to glow a vibrant green as the wind began to shift and intensify, making the sorcerers clothes flap out from their bodies. The glow began to expand from Nem's eyes, covering his face, torso, and slowly encapsulated him in bright green energy.

"Is this it? Changing the wind and becoming a neon freak? I'll attempt quell the shaking of my legs."

"Make all the jokes you desire, demon. This is my power, and with it, I'll defeat you."

"Then defeat me."

Nem flew swiftly towards the wizard, his passing through the air creating a soft hissing sound. His speed increased, and there was a sudden clap of thunder as he reached an unbelievable speed. Nem slammed his shoulder into Alnahim's stomach, who pitched forward, saliva flinging from his mouth. Then a blaze of pain raced across his right cheek as the old one punched him. Another across his left cheek. Nem was pummeling Alnahim with speed one wouldn't have believed of the old man, replaced by the green figure.

Alnahim placed a hand on the bright green chest, and emitted an energy pulse, sending Nem flipping through the air. He thought quickly, imaging the best course of action. Then the figure was rocketing towards him again, and thought shut off. He curved his body to avoid the bone crushing blow that was coming, and whipped around, kicking Nem in the back of the head with his black boots.

Nem half-turned and grabbed his ankle, snapping him around like a whip, and then spinning around, gaining speed until he was nearly a tornado. Then he released the demonic wizard, sending him careering towards the tower.

Alnahim muttered a curse as he realized his magic wouldn't act in time to stop himself from crashing into the tower. He struck it and smashed through the wall, causing a thick layer of dust to cloud around him. His body was draped over some of the rubble, and he only managed to raise his chest before the bright green wizard was on top of him, knees on either side of his chest, raining punches down. Part of Alnahim's mouth ruptured and hot blood began to fill it. With each punch, the blood was expelled, only to be replaced by new.

Alnahim caught one of the punches, and clenched as tightly as he could, hoping to break Nem's hand. No bones crunched, and Nem's figure only seemed to grin.

"It's no use, demon. I've created a force field of my mana. Your physical attacks cannot harm me now." He laughed, resuming his attack on Alnahim's face.

His attacks became less spirited and then fell away entirely as he heard Alnahim's low chuckle.

"Why do you laugh?" Nem questioned angrily, shoving his featureless green face less than an inch from Alnahim's.

Alnahim spat a jet of blood onto the ground, and looked into Nem's empty eyes.

"This entire time, I've been using twenty percent of my total power. My power is greater than yours." He boasted.

"Lies!" Nem hissed. His eyes widened in shock as a bright lancet of purple coursing energy rammed itself through his chest. He looked down at the lance with a sort of stupid surprise, the green energy covering his body receding into himself. Nem's body slumped forward and Alnahim shoved the old man off of him. He stood, and looked at the frail body, smirking.

Nem looked at him desperately, looking him up and down. His gaze locked onto Alnahim's hand, and then climbed to his eyes.

He was only able to mouth one word before the last bit of life left his eyes and he left the world of the living.

"Who?"

"The greatest wizard this world has ever known." Alnahim answered the corpse. He drew into his mana pool, and shot a tongue of flame over the frail body. It caught flame easily, and the smell of roasting flesh filled the air.

Soon after, the tower began to quake and rumble, shaking violently.

"What?" Alnahim half muttered, looking back at the burning remains of Nem to be sure he wasn't still alive, using some final trick. "Damn! Of course!"

The tower had been crafted by Nem's magic, and had been supplied a continual stream of mana to keep itself alive. Now Nem was dead, and his mana was no longer capable of sustaining the tower. So it would simply cease to exist. Alnahim's mind worked furiously to find the way to save everyone.

)))))))))

"So, I wonder what's going on out there." Jareth said, trying to break the awkward silence that was hanging in the air. Link had made the decision to spare his father, but the two still hadn't managed to break through the natural barrier between them.

"In this amount of time, The demon would have been killed twelve times. Nem is just waiting now for us to drop our guard, and then he'll swoop in and try to kill us as well." Dark said.

"Alnahim isn't nearly as weak as you think he is. Not two days ago his battle with you ended in a tie. Nem is probably being defeated as we speak." Link said scornfully.

Jareth sighed, rubbing the thin stubble that coated the lower portion of his face. Dark opened his mouth, but the group would never learn what he intended to say, because at that moment, the tower began to shake vehemently.

"What the hell is happening!" Jareth shouted.

"I don't know!" Link shouted back over the dominating sound of the quaking tower.

The tower's shaking only intensified with time, and Link looked down to assure himself the ground was still there. The only problem was that the ground wasn't there. The clean glass was fading in and out of reality like a pulse. One second it was easing into view, the next, easing out.

"What's wrong with the floor?" Link asked loudly.

Then the floor disappeared entirely, and the group was falling indefinitely. Link opened his mouth to let out a scream, but nothing came. He felt like his windpipe had shrunk to the size of a strand of hay. A choked cough erupted from his throat with all the force of a mouse's squeak, and frustration bit at the hero.

"_I can't even scream in my final moments_." He thought.

It was at that point that he saw the wide black swirling portal opened beneath them.

"_Alnahim._" Link thought with relief. Then sudden panic. "_Triforce!_"

He looked up and saw the golden triangle falling above them. It was spiraling down through the air as some leaves do, and Link thought he may just be able to get it. He flattened his body in the air, so his fall pushed most of the air into his back. His fall slowed slightly, and the triforce came closer. He looked back down and saw the portal looming closer and closer.

"_I have to get it before I enter!_" Link thought.

The triforce hit a gust of wind, and it's leisurely spiral was disrupted, it's tip coming down like a spear, wedging it through the air.

"Thank the Goddesses." Link thought as it came within reach. He reach his hand out and snatch it. Half a second later, his body entered the portal, which promptly closed.


	48. Chapter 47

Link sat staring at the back of his hand. The two glowing yellow triangles that fit perfectly together. Alnahim had opened up the portal at Nem's tower and had moved them to another cave. A fire was going, casting a warm light around everything. The group was stationed around it. Jareth hunkered, looking into the flames, Link lying on his back looking up at his hand. Alnahim was up against a wall, away from everyone else.

"_We've actually done it_" He thought on the borderline of giddiness. He stood up and let out a laugh that made him sound almost ten years younger.

Jareth looked at him with a pleased smile, and even Alnahim couldn't repress the half smile from breaking over his face.

"We did it! We really did it!" Link said through his laughter. His eyes were sparkling with happiness. "Now it's back to light world, and then our battle with Ganon. It took so long, but we did it!"

"The battle is not won yet, Link." Dark said. "Ganondorf is extremely powerful."

Link smile didn't falter in the slightest.

"Dont be such a mood killer." He said cheekily.

"When do we leave dark world?" Jareth asked.

"Soon." Link said seriously. "There are several things we have to do first though."

"Such as?" Alnahim questioned.

"Well, first of all, we need Dark to oversee the merging of the people. We need to use the stones to forge the sword that will give us entry back to light world.-"

"-Umbra blade"

"-And then I'd like to stop in the goron capital...to say farewells." Link finished.

Jareth stood up, and dusted off his pants.

"If it's not too much to ask, I'd like to take a leave for a short while." He said calmly.

"Wha-why?" Link questioned, sudden worry tugging at his gut. He'd been with Jareth for such a long time now, and didn't want the ranger to desert him.

"Don't be afraid. I will join you all in the light world. But I'd like to return to my home. I'd also like to go to the forgotten city. I've lived my entire life in this world. I've loved and lost here. I have farewells of my own to bid." Jareth said.

"That will work well then." Dark said.

"Why's that?" Link asked.

"The center of this land is in Levid, the forgotten city. That's where I must use the umbra blade to unlock the door to Light world." The pale figure answered.

"Then it all works out. I will take my leave, and you three will oversee what you need to do." Jareth said.

"I too, have business before I leave this land." Alnahim said.

"Alnahim, you hardly care about anything. What could you have to do?" Link asked.

"This is the land of my birth. I have many years of history here. It's likely that I'll never return. There are things I must do."

"That's a cheery way of thinking about it." Link muttered to the ground. He looked to his father. "I assume you must go and take care of things?"

"My business is the same as yours. This land is not my home. I have no one I care extraordinarily for here. I have to make sure the species join peacefully, and I must forge the umbra blade. Those are my two duties." Dark responded.

"Very well." Link said robotically. He turned back towards Jareth and Alnahim. "So what's the plan?"

"I say we go our seperate ways and take care of what we need to." Jareth began. "And meet in the main square of the forgotten city."

"Sounds good enough to me." Link said. "Alnahim?"

"It works fine." He answered.

"All right then. Guess we're all going on our way." Link said shakily.

Alnahim opened three portals.

"That one is for you, Link." He said, pointing to the one on the far right.

A look of awe came over Link's face, and he looked at the wizard strangely.

"What?" Alnahim asked. "It's only a portal, I've opened dozens of them in front of you."

"It's not that." Link said, smiling. "It's just...I think that's the first time you've said my name without the intent to kill me."

Alnahim looked away sharply, almost as if embarrassed by the acknowledgment. Link took a step closer to the wizard, and waited for his purple eyes to meet his own. When they finally did, he smiled.

"Thank you." He said.

"It's of no consequence." Alnahim said apathetically.

"Oh C'mon Alnahim, you care about us! You can let it out." Jareth said cheerily.

"Sometimes I hate all of you." Alnahim said as he walked into one of the portals. It closed behind him, leaving Jareth, Dark, and Link alone together.

"He's always the happiest guy in the world." Jareth said.

"Hey, now he only hates all of us some of the time." Link joked.

"Yes. But, now I have to head off. I'll see you soon Link." Jareth said. He took a step forward and embraced the seventeen year old. They broke their hug, and Jareth walked to the portal. He nodded to Dark, and stepped through. The portal closed behind him, leaving only Link and his father.

They stood in an awkward silence, neither party quite wishing to break it. Before this, they'd always had Dark's hatred towards Alnahim as a distraction. Or Jareth's humor as a buffer. Now they were all alone together.

"So-" Dark began.

"Let's get through the portal before it dissipates." Link said coldly. He walked through the portal. Dark followed, and the portal closed, leaving the cave deserted.

))))))

They stepped out of the portal, entering the Goron capital. No one could have suspected that not long ago, this had been a raging battlefield. Gorons, Zora, and all manner of demon rushed urgently around the tunnel. The city was more populated than ever before, and Link was amazed by the lack of cracks and tears in a city that had lived through such a ferocious war. The two began to stride towards the royal sector, where they must meet with King Gaius, and the one the Zora had selected as their leader.

The trip was filled with silence between the two. Dark opened his mouth several times to say something, but then thought better of it, closed it, and resumed the walk. By the time they reached the exquisitely crafted door of the royal meeting room, they'd managed an exchange of zero words. The door swung open easily on it's hinges, displaying a room with six people seated around a circular table. Two goron, two zora, two other demons. The gorons were, naturally, King Gaius and his remaining son. Link didn't know the other four.

They all looked at the two new additions to their discussion. Link could see the dislike on Gaius's face at Dark's arrival.

Link and his father walked to the two open chairs at the table, and sat down.

"Greetings." One of the Zora said. He was dressed in a royal red high collared vest. Under the vest a long black shirt covered his arms and torso. "I am Archlord Bernam. Essent's replacement. This is my consultant, Nero."

The other Zora made a shallow bow towards the newcomers.

"It is with honor and fine intent we are met." Dark said, returning the bow. He turned to demonfolk. "And who, may I ask, represents your kind?"

The demons were rather different from each other. The one who appeared in charge was tall, muscular, and reptillian. A massive head filled with teeth grinned at the group. Pale green eyes with black slit pupils looked down at them. His counterpart, on the other hand, was small and skinny. He looked as though at full height he would come up to Link's shoulder, and his limbs were long and spindly, much like a spiders. His skin was a pale red, and crimson horns spiraled up from his temples. A smile was etched across his lips, surprisingly, he stuck his hand out his hand to Dark.

"I am Eldred, the new leader of demon kind. My friend here is Argosa." Eldred said.

"I am pleased to meet you, Eldred and Argosa." Dark replied. "I presume you know me, but in the case that you do not, I shall introduce myself. My name is Link. My advisor and I share our name. We are both humans from a different world. I conquered and ruled over this land, but now am to return to my birth home. Thus, I've decided to allow the three species to have control over this land. Three, so that on major decisions there can not be deadlock. The goal of today's meeting is to divide the land into three provinces, ensure peace between the three races, and, finally, to turn over power to the three heads of this land."

"Yes. Let's get this over with." Gaius said. He reached to his side, and pulled out a large piece of paper, rolled up. As he unfurled it, the groups saw it was a massive map of the Dark world. "I had my scholars draft this map from all existing documents. I doubt it is one hundred percent accurate, but it will have to do."

Link looked the map over, and saw the Goron kingdom was mapped flawlessly. However, as the map moved outward, showing more of the land, more and more mistakes appeared. For example, the dark desert was depicted as being maybe half it's total size, and they'd neglected to place anything marking the existence of stone tusk temple.

"King Gaius, if I may?" Link said.

"May you what?" Bernam asked skeptically.

"I noticed a few mistakes on the map. I just plan on fixing them quickly. I've traveled a lot of this land over the past couple months, and I figure I may as well use my experience."

"Go for it." Gaius sighed.

Link grabbed one of the pens and bent over the map. He doubled the size of the dark desert, and drew a rudimentary structure in the middle of it, labeling it, 'Stone-tusk Temple.'. Next, he drew the rock formation that had housed the imaginary city Alnahim had created. As he drew it, a blast of rememberance washed over him.

"_It doesn't seem so long ago. Alnahim was an enemy...and Ekron was still with me..._" Link thought bitterly.

He returned his attention to the map, fixing any more errors he saw. He passed the pen to Bernam, who looked at him curiously.

"I've never been to the realm of the Zora. I would be unable to tell if their were errors with your land." He said apologetically.

Bernam nodded, and looked over the map. He studied it for several minutes, his black eyes moving around the large piece of paper. Every once in a short while he would move the pen down and draw a line, or make some other minute detail. Finally, he lifted his eyes.

"It's as perfect as I can make it." Bernam said.

"Very well. Let's commence." Dark said. "The Goron have a place they will not give up, and that is this realm in these mountains. Therefore, in these negotiations, that land cannot be taken from the them. The same is true of the Zora and their training grounds and capital in the East of the land, at the mouth of the River Zora. Because of this, it is only fair that the demon's are granted an area of land that cannot be taken from them. Therefore, at the start of this summit, I gift demonkind with the forests in the south of this land. I presume this is fine for everyone?"

Gaius grunted agreement, and Bernam nodded. Eldred seemed to take a moment to consider, and then nodded as well.

"Excellent." Dark said. "By the end of our meetings, we shall have one kingdom set up, governing over the three provinces. Trade, free commute, and mingling of the provinces must be allowed. What we decide now are the boundaries of each province. Eldred, where do you believe you territory should spread?"

The pale demon glanced around the table briefly.

"Since our realm is the forest, it only makes sense that the whole of the forests of the shadow are ours. I ask that our domain stretches to the ends of the dark desert, and to the tower of Nem. Also, I would like the old kingdom to be ours, so that we may set up our capital within the forgotten city."

"You joke!" Nero, Bernams consultant, exclaimed. "That would give you full dominion over almost four of the eight territories of this land!"

"These are the things I've asked for." Eldred said simply.

Dark crossed his fingers in front of his face and gazed at the demon.

"Very well. Gaius. What land do you wish to have?" He said.

"My kingdom is all my people need. But in the interest of possible future needs, I will specify which lands I desire. Demonkind can have the Dark desert. I've seen it, and it's nothing but a wasteland, filled with Crulls."

"_Are those the little scorpion things?_" Link thought.

"The areas I do want are the Heartless Savannah. The tribal temple of the former necromancers has been rumoured to house some interesting artifacts. Also, I am interested in this mountain range in the northern area of land. The one Link outlined as having some enchanted city or something. And finally, I too want the Forgotten city of Levid." Gaius finished.

"But I already claimed the city." Eldred said.

"Shush." Dark muttered. "Bernam. You?"

"My people are dependent upon water. Lake Zora in the upper east of the land will be ours. There will be no negotiation on that. From there, the plains that the Tower of Nem is in are desired. This Northern range of mountains sounds appealing to me. And Levid is something I desire as well." Bernam said.

"All right. So no one is opposed to the demon folk having the forests of shadow and the Dark desert?" Dark asked.

"No." Gaius grunted.

"They can have it." Bernam said snidely.

"Very well." dark said, "and the Goron are the only ones who want the heartless savannah?"

"Aye." Nero said quickly.

"They can have it." Bernam repeated.

"Glorious. So five of the territories are already decided. Now we have to determine what to do with the Northern Mountain range, the Forgotten kingdom, and the plains that surround the tower of Nem. Everyone wants a hold on the Forgotten kingdom, we'll save that one. So, the Northern Mountain range. Both the Gorons and the Zora desire the realm. Bernam, why would having this area be beneficial to your people, and the kingdom as a whole?" Dark asked.

Bernam's eyes widened, as if he'd not expected being asked a question.

"Um, Well, you see. Zora are water based. And, from what, uh, Link there has said." Bernam said, gesturing to Link. "There is a crater in it. My people could flood that crater, creating an artificial lake, thus increasing the water supply of the kingdom."

Dark Link let a small smile appear on his face as he turned to the Goron leader.

"Gaius?" He said.

"My kind eat rocks. It's our primary meal. Without rocks, we die. There have been times in our history where the city and kingdom have not provided enough rocks for us to eat, and we have been to the point of starvation. This mountain chain could provide us with rocks during those times of famine. That, would benefit my kind. As for the kingdom, we Goron are fine craftsmen. We make great architects and blacksmiths. With enough food to fuel us, we could raise a city in just a few weeks. So by giving this land to us, you ensure that my kind will not starve, and that there will be places for the citizens to live." Gaius said, smiling at his speech.

"Well, this isn't my say. We will vote. Eldred, Argosa, and Link will take a vote on who they believe should be given control of the Northern Mountain range. I will give them a few minutes to think of their answer." Dark said.

"_I must decide?_" Link thought in a sudden panic, "_Who should I choose? I like the Goron as people more than the Zora, but both things they bring to the land would be beneficial. I mean, the Zora would be giving the land drinking water, which is incredibly valuable. But, the Goron would provide living space. Cities. I'll pick the Goron. But wait...am I only choosing them because I like them more? Damn!_"

"All right. Time's up. Eldred? What do you say?"

"Drinking water is necessary to sustain life,but we already have a massive lake that all people will have access to. Not to mention the river that flows through most of the territories. So, I think the land should go to the Goron." Eldred said.

A thin smile cracked Gaius's face, and a frown creased Bernam's.

"Argosa?" Dark asked.

"I drink a lot of water." The large demon began. His voice was like a bag of stones grating together. "I don't need a place to live. Anywhere you can sleep is good enough. Give the land to the Zora."

"_Damn it! Why must I be a tie breaker?_" Link thought desperately.

"Link?"

"Both sides do provide very valuable things to the land. Clean water is necessary to sustain life. But, people need a place to live. So...I guess...I choose the Goron." Link choked out.

Gaius pumped his fist triumphantly, allowing a small chuckle to escape from his lips.

"Damn it." Nero whispered angrily.

"Be calm, Nero." Bernam hissed under his breath.

"Then we have reached our decision. The Goron people will have hold over their kingdom, the heartless Savannah, as well as the Northern mountain range." Dark said. "Now we focus on the Plains of the South East. Eldred, give me your reasoning as to why your kind should have them."

Eldred looked at the dark warrior for a moment before answering.

"Demon kind is vast. Our numbers are many. Some demons prefer the harsh conditions of living within the desert. Others enjoy the soft lands of the forest. Still more enjoy the breeze of the plains. Providing me this land would give my kind the variety they need, and still allows them to be under the banner of the province they are a part of. That creates higher morale, allowing us to be more useful." Eldred answered.

"And you, Bernam?" Dark said.

"The Zora are gifted with the ability to grow crops. To farm. The plains are known to be some of the only good growing land in this world. Giving it us would allow us to use the ground, and create food. By creating food, we make it possible for the people of the land to survive without eating each other." Bernam said with confidence.

"Gaius, your advisor and Link. Prepare your vote." Dark said.

"_At least this one is easy..._" Link thought.

When dark asked about who the land should go to, the vote was unanimous. All voters placed the land firmly to the Zora. Bernam accepted with a sly smile.

"Now...The forgotten kingdom, with it's city of Levid." Dark began. "This is one domain everyone wants. Gaius, what is your reasoning behind wanting the city?"

"My kind are the ones who were worked and created the city. Building it from the ground up. Our toil and sweat formed a beautiful city that still stands today. We created that city, and it is our right to keep it." Gaius said.

"Eldred?"

"Demon kind does not have a city of their own. The Gorons have this large capital city constructed in the mountains. The Zora have their city mingled with their training grounds by the Lake Zora. We have no city. No place to live in. Granting us this city would defuse a power struggle."

"A fine answer..." Dark replied. "Bernam?"

"The Zora race grows quickly. Even now, our home suffers from overpopulation. Obtaining Levid would give us enough room to sustain our race. That is without mentioning the vast supply of water there." Bernam finished.

"And this vote goes to Link." Dark said.

"W-What?" Link said, aghast.

"You decide. Who gets the forgotten kingdom?"

"why do I have to decide?" Link asked, anger touching his voice.

"No one else here can vote. I have to be as uninvolved as possible. None of the races can vote, because they'd all vote for themselves. So it has to be you." His father answered.

"Fine..." Link sighed.

"_Who? Damnit...Why must I choose? The Goron have a good point. They made the city for Din's sake...But they already have three territories...They have more than both the demons and the Zora. So by giving them the Forgotten kingdom, it's unfair to the other races. And the Demons don't have a city of their own. They are the only people that don't. Even so, the Goron could just build them one. And the Zora...if what they say is true, they would need more room to live. Damn it! Why can't they all just have it?_" Link thought. An idea slowly came to him, and he worked on it for a while, thinking of how best to put it.

"I vote that no one gets the forgotten kingdom." Link said.

"What?" Dark asked.

"Damn it boy! That's not an option!" Bernam exclaimed.

"Link...You can't get out of the decision." Gaius said mildly.

"Just answer." Eldred said calmly.

"I meant what I said. No one race will claim the forgotten kingdom. Instead, it will be a free province to all the kinds. Levid will become the capital city of this new kingdom. Goron, Zora, and Demon will own this territory equally." Link finished.

"That's actually not terrible..." Dark said quietly.

"Perhaps not." Gaius muttered.

"Who is in favor of Link's plan?" Dark asked. "This time, only leaders answer."

Gaius raised one long arm into the air, signaling his acceptance. Seeing this as a course of action where the city could not be lost, Eldred rose his as well.

Bernam, seeing that he was beaten either way, sighed and grudgingly rose his arm into the air.

"Beautiful." Dark said. He bent over the map, outlining the new provinces of the land. When he finished, he straightened himself and gestured over the map. Now seeing the territories outlined, Link saw that although the Gorons had three territories, they had roughly the same amount of land as the other races. "And I think we should take a short break from all this. We will resume our meetings in an hour. Feel free to wander about the city to cool off or whatever you find necessary."

All the members of the meeting stood up, pushing in their chairs with a slight scream of scraping solids. Link rose, and exited the room with them, feeling instantly better as he stepped out of the room. He knew he would be spending a lot of hours in that room, and relished not being locked within it.


	49. Chapter 48

Ten days passed in that room, and Link hated every minute of it. It was in this time he realized he was no politician. The conversations were long, drawn out, and boring. Setting up laws and monetary systems and means for passing into other areas and how to set up the capital city and blah blah blah. It was all important, he knew, but somehow it felt like a monumental waste of time.

By the time it was all over, the provinces had been adamantly set, the rules for trade created, and free passage between provinces been allowed. When major advances such as these were made, Link felt a small warm glow in his gut that he didn't mind, but these were so few it didn't matter. And in order to get to that point there was so much bickering and arguing that he sometimes felt he was dealing with children.

Finally, he walked out of the doors for the last time, in what was now the nation of Helia. There were only a few days before he was to be in Levid, and rejoin Alnahim and Jareth. In that short amount of time, his father must craft the umbra blade.

"Link." His father's voice called to him.

Link turned to the voice, and cocked his head to the side in a gesture of a question.

"I need the stones. I'm going to the forge now." Dark said.

Link wordlessly reached down to his pack, and pulled out the three stones. For some reason, being so close together made them glow with an inward light. A brief wave of nostalgia came over him as he remembered obtaining them.

The ignis rock. It had been won in this very city against the dragon heryn. Ekron had dove into the lava to save him...

The orbis stone. Jareth had given it to him in Levid after they'd killed his wife, karina, after she'd been possessed by the vengeful spirits of the city. Magus...they'd called themselves Magus.

The Glacies crystal. It had been taken from the man who stood before him right now. A former hero, a former enemy, now an ally.

Link handed the three stones over to Dark, and turned.

"Link, I..." Dark began. Link half turned, looking at him over his shoulder. "I'm sorry."

Link shrugged and began to walk towards the royals tombs. Dark looked after him for a moment with a paternal longing on his face before going his own way.

)))))))

"Hey Ekron, It's me, Link." Link began. He was hunkered next to the small altar that Ekrons casket rested on. His voice was thick with emotion as he spoke with his dead friend. "So, guess what? We, uh, beat Dark Link. Purified him. So, I guess now he's a good guy. I got all the pieces of the Triforce, and I got all the ores that were needed. So...that means my time in this world is going to end soon." Link's voice hitched on the last sentence.

"I came here to say goodbye, Ekron. You were the first friend I made here, ya know? You saved my life multiple time, and didn't even think of yourself. I will honor your memory, I swear it."

The room fell into a sad silence then, the air only filled by Link's breath. He was remembering all the times they had shared, all the battles they fought. Those thoughts led way to all the times he would wish Ekron was there, all the battles they wouldn't fight together.

"He was a warrior, and a friend. I'll give him that." A voice said, destroying the silence.

Link jumped and whirled around, seeing his father. Dull rage formed in his heart and he stood up.

"What are you doing here? You aren't welcome!" He shouted. "You're his murderer! Don't you get it?"

"No. I don't get it. You made me live, and keep acting like this. I am your father, yet you treat me as a stranger!" His parent shouted back.

"Why shouldn't I? It's all you have EVER been to me. I lived the whole of my life without a father. Most of it without a mother. Then, when I finally realize I would meet my father after seventeen years of not seeing his face, he turns out to be you. A man who fell to darkness. A man who lost himself to shadows. You throw me into a wall and leave me to die, ignoring me. Saying a son of _yours_ could never be so weak. And then you kill my best friend. Are you an idiot? How can you possibly not see why I don't want you here!" Link retorted.

"You know I wasn't myself..." Dark said, abashed.

"Does that make a difference? Does it honestly? You still drank that potion, knowing it would strengthen your shadow!" Link said, now working in a full rage. "You handed yourself over to evil, and because of it, Ekron had to die. And now you stand here, giving backwards half compliments! Get out!"

But the dark figure didn't move. He only stood, silent, watching his son. His pale face was an expressionless mask. Link glared at him ferociously, anger permeating through the air.

"What must I do to make it up to you?" Dark asked.

"Nothing." Link said angrily. "I will never forgive you for his death. For the nightmares I face. For the guilt I felt and still feel. We can only move forward from here. The past is unkillable."

"Then how do I take the first step?"

"I don't know." The son answered quietly. "Just leave me alone for now. This is the last time I will talk to him."

Wordlessly, dark turned and left the tombs of the Goron city. The sadness reentered Link's being, and he resumed his talk with his fallen friend.

))))))))))

Hours later, Dark stood shirtless in the forge room. A roaring inferno cast a red-orange glow all around the room and made his pale body bead with sweat. His muscled bulged, expanded, and retracted as he poured the molten metal his sword was originally forged with into a mold. Sweat raced down his body from his neck, surging over his chest and muscled stomach. He had melted the three ores down and combined them, creating a mixture that glowed with a dark purple light. Anticipation dried his mouth as he poured the purple mix into the orange one. His mind had desired this moment for nearly two decades. The thick purple metal slowly poured from the bucket, into the mold. For a moment the two mixtures seemed to repel each other, but seconds later the natural laws of physics caused them to mix and swirl with each other.

"_Yes..._" A dark raspy voice whispered in the back of his mind.

Dark jerked at the sound of the voice. It wasn't his own. It was a voice he'd not heard since the war with the Gorons had ended. The voice of darkness. He listened to his own mind with a horrible fixation, but the voice did not speak again. The burning room suddenly felt ice cold, and a shiver ran down Dark's back.

He shook his head wildly in an attempt to clear his thoughts, and grabbed a forging hammer. He drew drew the sword from the mold and began to hammer away at it, as if hammering away at the fear that had clutched his heart.

Dark enjoyed forging. He always had. It was a beautiful art that turned his thoughts off and made him feel a sort of primal wholeness. The fire, the heat, the banging of steel, and most of all, creating. But now, it provided no relief to his frantic thoughts.

He swung the hammer down too hard, bending the blade. With a curse he righted his error, bringing the lip back up to the rest of the sword. Finally, when the sword seemed right, Dark picked up the tongs he'd laid on the work table, and picked up the luminescent metal. He dipped it into a bucket of water with a snake's hiss of steam. It washed over him in a cloud, the heated gas making more sweat bead on the tip of Dark's nose.

As the steam cleared, he saw the beautiful glow of his sword. Purple runes seemed to have formed themselves along the sword's blade, their light fading in and out like a pulse. The steel of the sword had darkened to a dark gray color, making the runes stand out.

"This is the Umbra blade..." He whispered in momentary awe. He reached out and wrapped his hand around the sword's metal hilt. Having just been forged, there was no material wrapped around it for grip.

The sword still had a small heat, but not so intense that Dark would throw it away. He marvelled at how correct the sword felt in his hand. He knew in that moment that this had always been his purpose. This was the weapon he would wield for the rest of his days. The sword that had been his goal since the day he had heard of it. Now, years later he stood with it in his hand.

Dark slashed the sword through the air experimentally several times and instantly loved everything about it. It had been forged from the sword he'd fought with for so long, but somehow it seemed different. Lighter, faster, stronger.

"I think...we shall fight many battles together." He said to the cooling piece of metal.

)))))))))))))))))

Miles and miles away, Jareth kneeled in front of a bundle of sticks driven into the ground in order to resemble a half moon.

"Karina...It's been too long." He began. "I wish our final memories could have been happier, but it appears the Goddesses had something different in mind. I'm...I...Damn it!"

Jareth stood up, and turned around. Tears that had been fought back with will alone sprung to his eyes, and the ranger knew he couldn't last much longer. His shoulders rose and fell in a quick rhythm, and he opened his mouth to speak again.

"I'm so sorry that I didn't listen to you. You told me about the dreams, and I didn't listen. It's my fault that you were possessed by Magus. You are the only woman I've ever loved, and I swear I will never love another. I will stay loyal to you, and we can be together once again in the afterlife. It may sound bad to others, but a part of me wants that to come as soon as possible...My life to see you again? I'd pay that price a thousand times. When I go into battle, part of me hopes to die. Hopes to see the world fading around me, and then find myself in your embrace.

But I cannot throw my life away. Link needs me. His father needs me. Hell, even Alnahim needs me. I'm not nearly as strong as them, but I'm important to the group. Just as everyone is. I feel like if any one of us were lost, the rest would soon fall. That, my darling Karina, is why I cannot allow myself to end everything."

"I'd not want you to end everything, Jareth. I want you to live happily." Karina's soft beautiful voice said.

Jareth's face slowly rose, a look of happy wonder on his face. He turned around, and saw her. The slim lovely form and pale face. Her golden hair hanging to her waist, and storm cloud gray eyes looking at him lovingly. Her lips were the color of cherries.

Tears of love and happiness and ungodly relief broke from his eyes. He sprang forward and hugged his wife close to him, enjoying the scent of lilacs that filtered out from her. He arm linked together around his stomach, and she pulled Jareth close to him.

"I thought you were dead. Oh Gods! I love you Karina, I love you more than all the stars in creation. Ugh! Damn, why can't I find the words to describe how deep my love flows!"

"I...I am dead Jareth." She whispered.

He didn't respond for five seconds, and then slowly drew back form the embrace.

"What?" He asked. "How is that even possible? You're standing right here in front of me."

"The Goddesses saw your struggles, and gave my spirit a body for twenty four hours, so that you could say all you needed to say." She said, looking down at the ground, biting her lip.

"So...after the twenty four hours is through, we must part until the afterlife?" Jareth questioned sadly.

"Yes."

"Then...We must make the absolute most of these hours! Come!" He said, grabbing her arm and whisking her away to the house they had shared.

)))))))))))

Sitting in a room dimly lit by candles, Alnahim meditated. The candles were arranged around him in a semi-circle, sending shadows playing across his face. His eyes were shut, his hands touching together, forming a circle. He sat like this for twelve hours, gathering his mana, channeling it, spreading it, bringing it in.

When he finally finished, he stood up and created a breeze to blow out the candles. He left the room, entering the dull light of Dark-World daytime. He stood in the midst of a grassy field, and stretched with a yawn. He held out his hand, and allowed a black flame to sprout within it. He then clenched his fist, extinguishing the flower of fire.

Three miles off stood a small hut. It was there that his quarry was lying in wait. He hovered into the air and began to soar to the hut. As he came close, he raised his arm and allowed a jet of black fire to burst out, engulfing the hut in flames. From inside he heard a frantic, high pitched screaming. Seconds later, a tall demon burst from the hut's door. It stood six and a half feet tall, with dusky gray skin. Large, bat-like wings furled out from it's shoulder blades. A shock of snow white hair hung in the demon's eyes. It wore combat boots on both of it's long feet, and baggy military pants.

"Greetings Kappi." Alnahim said.

The demon spun around wildly, and saw the purple-eyed sorcerer.

"A-Alnahim?" The demon said, confused. "I thought you were dead."

"Oh yes. I'm sure that is how you wished it to be." The wizard said cooly.

"I don't know what you mean." Kappi said to the floating figure.

"Shut up. I know you were the one who gave the idea of sending me to this world. You're the reason I was banished here." Alnahim said.

"Look...Alnahim, I was just, ya know, doing what I thought was best."

"You're a disgrace. I've shown nothing but the bare minimum of my powers and you already cower and try to win your life. You have no pride. I suppose that's a common trait of Ganon's slack-minded minions." Alnahim said sharply.

"You were once no different." Kappi retorted.

"The past is dead." Alnahim said, smirking. "Not unlike how you will be soon. I know you were sent here to keep track of things. Give him information about possible disturbances. It's a shame you've grown lax though."

"What do you mean? I've reported everything I've seen to the great lord Ganon."

"You've seen nothing." Alnahim laughed. "Everything you have seen the past three years is an illusion I created."

"Y-You what!" The demon stammered with rage.

"I created an illusion, you fool! You've been living a lie! Everything you've reported to your so called lord, has been falsities created by yours truly. Now, I think it's time I end you."

Kappi roared with rage, and hurled himself into the air, his leathery wings beating furiously. Alnahim reached a single hand out and let a jolt of lightning scar the air. It struck the demon, who fell to the ground, instantly dead. Alnahim let himself drop out of the air, landing right beside the corpse. He reached towards the demons pocket, his hand glowing with three triangles.

He rooted through the large pockets until he found what he was searching for. He pulled it out, and raised it up to the sky, inspecting it with a confident smirk on his face.

* * *

Sorry for not updating for over a week to the few of you who care ;). Working and fatigue and relationship stuff all roared up at the same time, and crippled me with writer's block. I tried working through it, and that's how the super boring 47 came about, so I opted to give myself some time. Now, I think I'm back on track, and will be able to update more frequently. We are nearly to the end of the second part, with the next chapter most likely serving as the ending chapter of the dark world. Soon enough our little journey will come to an end, and that'll be that. So, I thank you for those that have tagged along thus far, and ask that you follow me towards the end of our quest.


	50. Chapter 49

Link and Dark strolled through the streets of Levid, heading towards the place they would reunite with their allies. On either side of the street squat cobble houses sat, eerie with their abandonment. The sky was brighter than Link had seen it in this world, looking a pale gray blue that was almost like the sky of his home world. A growing excitement was nested in the deepest reach of Link's heart. After such a long time, he was to return home. Back to Hyrule. Back to bright warm days. Back to Zelda.

All along the journey to Levid he had pictured his return to her. In it, they would arrive at the temple he had used to travel to the dark world. Days of travel would pass as if they were minutes, and they would arrive at the sanctuary where Zelda was. She would run to him, her eyes shining with joy. In the light, her hair would glow like auburn sunshine. The princess would collide with him roughly, looping her arms around his neck. Naturally, Link would return the embrace with a happy laugh. Next, he would tell her all about his adventure. She would listen, the picture of interest.

The thought was enough to make his eyes mist and his mouth twitch into a smile.

In his daydream, he tripped over a stray piece of cobble, sticking up from the road. He pitched forward, his arms flailing about in an attempt to regain his balance. Finally, he caught himself, and continued walking. He looked at Dark, and saw him walking with the same kind of absent-mindedness Link had displayed moments ago. That look didn't look right on the pale man.

"Hard to believe this will be a booming capital city sometime soon, eh?" Link said.

His father's expression didn't change, and no answer came. He only continued walking, his hand lightly touching the pommel of the sword he had forged.

"Right then..." Link muttered, following after.

They traveled in silence for several more minutes, the only sound being that of their boot heels hitting the ground. Link's thoughts turned away from his father's coldness, and to reuniting with his friends. It had been only a little over a week, yet it felt like much longer. He missed Jareth's grin and warmth. He even missed Alnahim's layer of ice. Somehow, the thought that they wouldn't have arrived yet didn't occur to him.

Shortly after, the pair entered the main square of Levid. Here, the buildings were large multi-storied monuments. They were no where near as tall as the tower of Nem, but Link was awed nonetheless. They rose into the sky like goliath titans, their windows staring down into the square like happy eyes. As the centerpiece of the square was a cathedral, taller than the rest of the buildings. Instead of being made from gray cobble, it was constructed from a white marble-like substance. Pearl colored pillars stacked out from the intricately carved burgundy wooden doors. On either side of the doors were massive stained glass windows. One depicted a mounted lance wielding knight, raising his lance into the air. On the blade of the lance was the head of a beast that looked like a cross between a gorilla and a bear. Most likely a depiction of some long forgotten battle.

The other window had a warrior in a green tunic, holding a shining sword aloft over his head. Another reminder that he was another link in never ending chain of warriors who must rise above, and defeat Ganon.

His thoughts were broken by the shouts of a familiar voice.

"Link! I'm here!" Jareth called with a wave.

Link returned the wave, a large grin on his face. He ran over to his friend and embraced him happily.

"How was your week?" Link asked.

"My week was fine. Ups and downs, as with all other things." Jareth answered. "and you?"

"Also fine. Boring political hooplah that just goes on and on far past it's worth." He replied.

"That's too bad, I suppose. And...how are things with Dark?" The ranger said lowly.

"Rough. He seems lost the past couple days. Ever since he forged that sword he's been pulled into his little world." Link said.

"Oh." Jareth muttered. "Did anything significant happen around that time?"

Link opened his mouth to answer, but at that point Dark had reached them, and he was cut off by his greeting.

"Hello Jareth." He said.

Jareth returned his greeting with a nod, before looking around the huge square.

"The buildings are so huge here." Link said. "I wonder how they managed to create them. It's sort of dizzying in a way."

"Yeah...speaking of things that you really wanna know about even though they make you queasy, where is Alnahim?" Jareth asked.

"I'm not quite sure." Link said, sweeping his gaze across the deserted city square.

Almost as if on cue, Alnahim walked out from the shadows of an alley, his cloak swirling around him. His bright purple eyes looking at them coolly. He seemed to walk without a care in the world, despite the fact that he was about to enter a world he'd not seen for seventeen years. A thin smile was etched on his face as he rejoined them.

"Alnahim." Jareth greeted.

"Jareth." Alnahim replied, a small smile touching his lips. He looked at everyone aside from Dark, and then nodded towards the massive cathedral. "The portal to your world is in that cathedral. I presume the key has been crafted?"

Dark wordlessly drew the runed blade, displaying it's darkened blade to the wizard. Alnahim looked at it and nodded his approval. He walked through the group, towards the cathedral stairs. The others followed.

Link climbed the stairs, his mouth dry with anticipation. Mere minutes away from returning to his home, he could hardly believe. To him, it felt like a whole life time had passed in these dark lands. How long ago had it truly been when he first entered the shadowy forest that housed the temple he'd come here in? How long since his foray into the desert? How long since he fought his father first? The questions were there in his mind and gone the very next second. No matter how much time had passed, he was to come home today. The darkened skies would no longer be his roof, replaced by azure cielings and fluffy white clouds. No more would the sound of crushing dead plants greet him when he walked.

Alnahim pushed the wooden doors, sending them swinging into the cathedral on silent hinges. The party walked in, observing that more stained glass window were viewable from this area. At the far end of the cross-shaped cathedral was a stone altar where a priest may once have stood, delivering sermons. Now it stood empty, aside from the large ring of gold which rested upon it. It was an oval ring, large enough for two men to walk through, side by side. Intricate carvings of a language long since forgotten covered the ring, perhaps aiding it's magic.

"That's the portal, eh?" Jareth said.

"Yes." Alnahim answered. "Now it must just react with the blade, and a portal will form."

They stood just a foot away from the portal, and Dark grasped the blade. Link noticed him wince as his hand touched the hilt. As he pulled the sword out, the runes burst into a flaming radiance. He pointed the umbra blade at the portal, and a deep purple beam shot form the tip, eager to be free from the sword. It hit the center of the hollow space of the ring and splashed out as if hitting an invisble wall. As the beam hit the golden portal it began to swirl counter clockwise. Five seconds later, a golden vortex appeared in the ring.

"Well, here we are." Alnahim said.

"Indeed..." Jareth muttered. He turned and looked over the cathedral. But he was not looking at that. He was looking through the walls. Looking through the walls, through the city, across the whole of the land. The land his parents had been unjustly imprisoned in. The land he had met the love of his life. The land he had lost her. Link could see the thoughts in the man's face. Then Jareth turned from the world, and towards the golden ring. With his chin high he walked through, disappearing into the light.

Alnahim went in after him, vanishing instantly. Link and his father looked at each other, and Link motioned for Dark to enter. The pale warrior nodded and stepped through.

Link was alone in this world once again. He turned as Jareth had and remembered his journey here. Dragons had been slain, wars had been won, and friends had been made. Now it was time for the final leg of his race.

He nodded fiercely at the cathedral and entered the portal, one step closer to his final duel with Ganondorf.

* * *

A/N  
Welp, here we are. Link has finally gathered the three pieces of the triforce, as well as converted his father back towards the light. Now he returns to Hyrule to battle Ganondorf to save the world. It seems to me like it has been such a long time since I began to work on this story again, despite it only being about 3 and a half months.

I thank everyone who has been a part of this with me. Saphire Jewel Jakson, Amwick, Scarlet Shamrock, Animecat92, Jack Russel, dqbsurf, Ellenar Ride, Daicha, and Luigistime2shine, Thank you for favoriting and reading. I probably wouldn't have made it so far if it weren't for all you who liked it enough to favorite. Thank you to WolfenAmpithere for commenting and giving me some advice on how I should write this thing. 


	51. Chapter 50

As the portal cleared away, leaving Link in the light world once again, he exhaled a breath of months of stress. This stress seemed to lift away as soon as the cool wind of Hyrule brushed his skin.

The portal had taken them back to the temple that Link had used to go to the dark world. He remembered thinking it was an ugly sight, yet now he was happy to see it. It was exactly like coming home.

"My God! The air is so sweet!" Jareth exclaimed.

Link turned to him and saw him sniffing the air tenaciously. The sight was completely ridiculous and forced a deep laugh to erupt from Link's belly. Jareth looked at him oddly, and asked what was so funny.

"Y-Y-You!" Link forced out. "You have your nose shoved into the air and are sniffing the air like a madman!"

Jareth's eyebrow rose questioningly before he began to laugh as well. Link was surprised at the sound of his laugh. It was almost musical. The laughter was infectous and spread to Dark. The sound was less musical, coming straight from the stomach, deep and strong. Alnahim allowed a brief smile to float across his lips before his neutral expression returned.

"So, where exactly must we go now?" Alnahim asked through the pleasantries.

Link's laughter died away, though a happy smile still tugged at his lips. He looked at the wizard and mentioned the location of the sanctuary. Alnahim nodded, and began to walk in that direction. The group came after him and began their trip to the building where Zelda lay in wait.

))))))

"I just can't get over how _blue _the sky is!" Jareth exclaimed in wonder. "I mean, just look at it! Have you ever seen a color so intense? I haven't. And look at these trees! The leaves are so green! And the grass!"

"Jareth, we understand. The land is bright." Link groaned.

Jareth grabbed a handful of leaves from a nearby tree and brought them to his nose. He breathed deeply inward for several seconds before letting the branch swing back to it's place.

"The leaves smell like a mixture of spices that my parents somehow had in the other world." he said almost distantly.

Through the trees, Link saw the first large steeple of the sanctuary. His heart leaped with a terrifying pulse, and he was suddenly overly conscious of himself. He could see his blonde hair hanging in his eyes, and cursed the fact that there was no water nearby to see himself and correct any errors. His heart began to beat so strongly that his vision quaked with it's intensity. His mind soared through the possibilities of how Zelda would react to him.

They reached the doors, and Link took a moment before boldly climbing the stairs. He reached his arms out and opened the doors with conviction. He pictured himself as the gallant knight returning to his fair maiden. Now, Godesses willing, she would turn to him, and honor her hero.

He looked into the shady room, his eyes quickly adjusting to the dark. He cocked his head to the side and uttered a confused titter. The princess wasn't there. The sanctuary looked as though no one had been inside of it in months, with dust and cobwebs settling over most spaces.

"Where..." Link half asked the empty room.

"My goodness! The spiders here are no larger than my hand!" Jareth shouted exuberantly, running into the dark.

"_Did Ganondorf take her? No! It doesn't make sense. Where is she?_" Link thought. He reached into his pouch without much motive, and felt his hands wrap around a smooth round object. He pulled it out and looked at it.

He had just pulled out the telepathy stone he had used to talk to Zelda. He closed his eyes and began to concentrate. His spirit began to flow and expand, reaching out towards Zelda's mind. It finally reached her and he tried to speak with her. At first she resisted, but somehow recognized his presence.

"_Link!_" He heard her exclaim in his head. "_What is it?_"

"_I'm back in Hyrule, Zelda. Where are you?_" Link asked.

"_So you got the pieces of triforce?_" She said, excitedly.

"_Yes, And I resolved a small war. Where are you?_" Link said, frustration seeping into his voice.

"_I can't very well give you directions if I do not know where you are first._" She mused.

"_We're at the sanctuary. The place you were supposed to be._" He said.

"_We?_"

"_Yes. We. I met powerful friends in the other world who will help us a ton. Where are you?_" He repeated.

"_We are camped perhaps forty miles North of you. You will find us if you just head North._" She said.

"_We? Who's we?_" Link asked.

The question was left unanswered as the connection between the two of them died away, leaving his mind feeling almost lonely.

"So, Where is this princess of yours?" Dark muttered.

"I guess she is forty miles North of here." Link growled, clenching the stone tightly. "I guess finding the sole weapons that will allow us to defeat Ganon, risking my life, and ending an entire damn war took too much time and she ran off for some errands."

He walked off hotly, with Dark and Alnahim looking after him queerly. They looked at each other confusedly, letting their hatred fall by the wayside for the time being.

Jareth ran out from the sanctuary, cupping a small spider in the palm of his hand.

"Just look at the size of it!" He proclamed.

Dark and Alnahim turned their gaze to him, before setting off after Link.

))))))))))))))(((((((((((((((

Two days later they all stood at the edge of what must have been a peddlar's paradise. Hundreds of brightly colored tents were set up in an organized manner. They walked through the camp, the sellers looking at them like they were from another world, which was only true for half of the group. Link didn't notice them, only looking around fiercely for the princess.

His anger had been festering, and now he was fighting off going into a full blown fury. He looked around the camp for a bright dress swirling about, but found none. His anger grew as he became frustrated by being unable to find Zelda.

"It's been a long time." He heard a voice say.

He turned and saw a woman standing there, just a little shorter than him. Her auburn hair was cut short, going no lower than her shoulders. Bright eyes looked at him happily. Under her tanned face she was dressed in a dull blue tunic and a pair of matching trousers.

"Who the hell are you?" He asked angrily. The woman drew back, obviously surprised by his reaction to her.

"I thought it had been a long time, but did you really forget me?"

Link looked her over again, and his jaw dropped as he realized it was the princess he had been seeking.

"Zelda?" He said suspiciously. Her face lit up in a way that extinguished Link's rage.

"So you didn't forget me." She said happily.

"I, uh, no." he stammered.

"Princess, I am honored to stand before you. I shall aid you in your efforts against the darkness that encroaches across you land." Jareth said, placing his hand over his heart.

She looked at the ranger and then back to Link.

"Oh! I'm sorry!" Link apologized. "Zelda, these are the friends I met in Helia."

"Helia?" She asked.

"Yes, but we can get to that later." Link said. "The man before you is Jareth, an archer of unrivaled skill. He trained me to be a bit better with the sword. This one here is Alnahim, a powerful wizard."

"Pleasure." Zelda said to Jareth and Alnahim. "And, who are you, sir?"

Dark looked down at her with a pained expression.

"I do not have an identity. If you need to refer to me, do so as Dark." He said.

"I...okay." She agreed.

"Dark is one of the greatest sword masters I've ever laid eyes on." Link said, Dark's eyes widening as he did so.

"Then I am sure that his presence will be greatly appreciated."

"Now, what's up with the peddlers?" Link began.

"Peddlers?" She said, arching an eyebrow. Then she began to laugh. "This isn't a group of peddlers! This is Hyrule's army! After you left, I began to gather everyone I could, training them, and forming our army. When we storm the capital city, it would be best to have several thousand men and women behind our backs, do you not think so?"

Link turned and looked over the camp, and saw the racks of weapons, heard the sound of a forge going, and felt the natural tension that always hung over war camps. He had no disbelief of what this was.

"So, brief me on what occurred in the other world, Link." She said, beckoning them to her tent.

The group entered the tent, and Link told his story.


	52. Chapter 51

"So, the dark world has achieved some form of order?" The princess asked.

"Yes. The three rulers are now working with each other to set up Helia." Link answered.

"That's grand for them. And you obtained the pieces of triforce...so now the armies should be evenly matched. Two men with two pieces of triforce at their helm. Ganondorf is known to have several powerful warriors in his army, but with the help of your friends, and some of my own, we should be more than a match for him."

She stood up from the chest she was sitting on and stretched her limbs, arching her back. Link's eyes widened, and he turned away, blushing.

"So now we must storm castle-town, and get our soldiers inside the castle. We are three days travel from castle-town, and we will have to ready the soldiers.

"We are going to need a strategy, princess." Jareth said seriously. "No war is going to be won by our side by trying to blindly attack a city. It would be best if we could get our army inside the city through some method. Are there any hidden passages we could use?"

Zelda thought for a second before responding there were three passages she knew of that they could use to get inside castle town.

"One hidden beneath a boulder in the forest that sits behind the town. Another in a small shack about two miles away from the town. The last one leads directly into the castle. It is only enterrable by diving into the moat and finding the right hole." she stated.

"So we can have three main avenues of assault." The ranger muttered. "Princess, how big would you say your army is?"

"No less than 5000 soldiers in this camp." She answered.

"I see...and how many do you believe now protect the castle town?"

"i wouldn't put it over 8000. The town is large, but not large enough to sustain an army much bigger than that."

"Then we will proceed assuming there are 10,000 soldiers within the city. I recommend several days of harsh training before we move out, to beat out any flaws in the combat ability of your average soldier."

"My soldiers are well trained." Zelda said, sounding slightly upset.

"If what I know of Ganon is true, they most likely aren't well trained enough. The men he will have surrounding him and guarding his city will be his best. I don't want an untrained army going against that, having to take out two soldiers for every one of our own that falls."

Zelda opened her mouth to offer a retort, but was cut off by a high pitched elderly voice.

"This man speaks the truth, Zelda."

The voice preceded an old woman entering the tent. She was short, standing maybe just over five feet tall. A pale faded blue dress hung loosely over her frail frame. Snow white hair framed her slim wrinkled face. In the center of that face were two bright green eyes, so intense they almost startled Link.

"I think our soldiers are more than capable, Agatha." She replied.

"Perhaps they may, yet I feel caution would not act as poison in this effort, Princess."

Zelda sighed before introducing the party to the old woman.

"Link, Jareth, Dark, Alnahim. This is Agatha, witch of the winds. I recruited her for her knowledge on sealing Ganon. She was one of the original sages that sealed him. Agatha, this is Link, Jareth, Dark, and Alnahim. From what I understand, they will be vital to our battles."

Agatha looked the group over, giving special attention to Dark and Alnahim.

"So, the hero of Hyrule has returned. And in a band meant to save Hyrule. Whatever happened to returning as a lord over all darkness?"

Zelda's expression became confused.

"I'm sorry, what?" She said.

"18 years ago, a man went on a murderous spree. He killed the then king of Hyrule, your grandfather. He was sealed into the dark world, after killing five of the seven sages. This man had been overrun by darkness, and was sealed into the dark world by the two remaining sages. As he faded from this world, he claimed he would one day return as a lord over darkness. That man was formerly a hero in Hyrule, known for his victory over Ganon. This man stands before you now."

Dark's head remained high, despite the look of shock on Zelda's face.

"My mind was not my own. I have joined this group in order to perhaps partially make up for my past mistakes. My darkness was wiped out by Link and Jareth.

"But it wasn't, was it?" the old witch asked sternly.

Dark's eyes grew wide, and he looked around at the people around him. Link looked at him, totally surprised, and then, even worse than hatred, with disappointment and shame.

"Is it true?" He asked.

Dark was silent for what seemed like an eternity before he opened his mouth.

"It was shortly before we left the Goron capitol...The voice of shadows began to beckon to me once again..." He said slowly.

Link's face became of picture of disgust, and he stormed out of the tent. Dark followed half a step, reaching his hand out. But he was too late. Link was already gone.

"Ganon is capable of manipulating all forms of darkness. If you do not throw off your veil of shadow, he will conquer you when you two meet." Agatha claimed.

"How?" Dark asked.

"Alnahim could create another potion." Jareth offered.

"No." Alnahim said. "My tonic did not last the first time. I can only imagine it's relief time would only become shorter and shorter as his body builds up resistance to it."

"The purple-eyed one is correct." Agatha began. "He would only be capable of offering temporary relief. You must face your shadow head on, or it shall only grow larger."

"How?" Dark repeated.

"We are twenty miles south of a mystic cave. The cave is infused with deep and ancient magic. When you enter, you are brought to conflict with your deepest emotions. The cave gets inside your head, and draws out your weaknesses, giving them physical shape and form. It was there that the original sages and I had to go in order to find the strength to seal away Ganon. You will face multiple trials, and if you survive, you will become much stronger. The darkness should be as eradicated as possible. Shadow magic will always be in your grasp, and your current appearance most likely won't reverse, but no more will darkness have a hold over you." she finished.

Dark considered the witch's words for a few minutes, before nodding.

"I shall set off within the hour." He said.

Jareth stepped in.

"I'd also like to go."

Agatha, Zelda, and Dark looked at him queerly.

"Why?" They asked in unison.

"Ever since the end of the goron war, I've been useless compared to the rest of my crew. I was only able to hardly handle myself against Dark. I used to be stronger than Link. And I can only imagine that Alnahim is far more powerful than I. If this cave of trials can make me stronger, I would like to use it." He said.

"You do realize this is an immensely strenuous series of trials that could tear you apart, body mind and soul, correct?" Agatha asked him.

"Yes. I understand the risk. But if it is what is necessary for my strength to increase, even a little, I want to do it."

"Very well..." The old woman groaned.

)))))))))))(((((((((((

Link was walking around the camp, head down.

"_After so long. After so DAMN much! He still isn't completely right again!_" He thought, his fists clenching so tight that he left white half moons in his palm from his fingernails. He spat angrily into the dirt, and carried on.

"Link! Is that you!" A voice called out, filling Link with Nostalgia. He turned around and saw Orion, the doctor of his village running towards him.

"Orion!" Link shouted happily. The tall lanky man reached him and let out a laugh.

"It has been so long!" He said happily. His voice was a few pitches too high for the tall body. Graying blonde hair curled out from his head, making his pointy ears stick out like horns. "Where have you been!"

"When...Uncle died, I promised to get revenge. So I sought out the princess, and she told me everything I had to do. I've been traveling around, finding the things we need in order to win this war."

"Who would have thought such a hero would come from our own little village." Orion laughed.

"How about you, what are you doing here?"

"The princess came to our village, and requested that we join with her. Me, being a doctor, felt my skills may be of value on the field of battle. So I joined with her. They've been keeping us busy, but it's good work that I'm doing." The doctor said happily.

"Well, I'm glad you have found all this."

"Indeed I am. But I think I'm needed. So I will see you around." Orion said as he turned and jogged away.

As Link watched him move away, he saw two horses speed out of the camp. He looked after them. One rider was garbed in a melding cloak of greens and browns. The other was dressed in a black tunic.

"The hell?" he said under his breath as he realized it was Jareth and Dark. Link began to sprint back towards the tent he'd left earlier.

)))))))))(((((((((

"Where are they going!" He exclaimed as he burst into the tent.

Zelda jumped, and covered her bare chest.

"uh...um, uh, wow, uh, I mean! Sorry!" Link said, a deep blush running across his face as he leaped out of the tent. He was still flourescent pink by the time the princess came out.

"Perhaps you should announce you are entering a woman's chambers before you do so." She said.

"I, I, uh, yeah..." Link stammered. "But, if I may ask, um, where exactly are Jareth and Dark going?"

"They are going to confront their weaknesses. Agatha told Dark of a cave where he could go to defeat his darkness. If he lives through it, he will be saved from it entirely."

"If he lives through it?" Link asked emotionally.

"Yes."

"And what about Jareth? He doesn't have any problems with darkness!" Link insisted.

"He wanted to go. He said he wasn't as strong as he could be, and wanted to become useful again." Zelda said.

"I have to go after them! What if they don't make it!" Link said with fear edging his voice.

"Link, calm down. If they are half as strong as you make them out to be, I'm sure they will be fine. Besides, I need you here in order to train the forces."

"But-"

"No buts. You will remain here and train the troops. Your friends will return within three days. If they do not, we move on with our attack on the city."

"I..." Link began, but then saw the look in Zelda's eye. "So be it."


	53. Chapter 52

Jareth and Dark rode through the night and made it to the cave Agatha had mentioned by dusk of the next day. They set up camp outside the cave, preparing themselves for the trials they would undoubtedly face. They sat down on two logs, watching the sun set, making the sky cascade with oranges and reds and yellows.

"I lived in the other world for almost 18 years, and I don't think I ever realized how much I missed seeing that." Dark said.

"This world is so beautiful. So bright and warm. Last night, while we were riding, I nearly fell out of the saddle several times because I couldn't stop staring at the stars. I heard Link talk about them, but I never imagined they would actually be so gorgeous." Jareth replied.

The two talked about the contrasting worlds until the sun wholly set, turning the night sky into a chandelier of twinkling diamonds.

"Jareth..." Dark began. "About Link. What do I do about him?"

"Um, What do you mean?" Jareth said, looking away.

"I can't get close with him. He keeps pushing me away. Every time I come close, he boards up, and I don't see who he truly is. How do I get to know my son?"

The last line was so emotionally strained Jareth cringed.

"Listen, Dark. Link is a great kid. But you were his prime enemy for a long time. I think, at a point, you were even bigger than Ganondorf. You killed his friend. And now 'BOOM' you're trying to be a father. It won't work like that. You have to take time." He said.

Dark's mouth twitched, and he erupted into fierce coughs. He fell from the log to his hands and knees.

"Dark, what's wrong!" Jareth shouted, leaping up and running to the coughing warrior.

Dark's body began to quake fiercely, and his muscles clenched to maximum tension. He uttered a low moan and his eyes opened wide, sending red light shooting out. His moan rose to a scream, as he was pulled into the air by his chest, like a corpse rising to the top of a river.

Jareth was only able to watch as the warriors body spread out like a star and shadows burst from his mouth like evil vomit. The shadows swirled around Dark's limbs, darkening the night. Jareth uttered a string of curses, watching his fellow traveler bellow through the shadows. His eyes widened in disbelief as the shadows began to slowly retreat, creeping up his legs and waist, reentering his mouth. He fell to the ground and curled up into a ball, small shudders still running through his body. Jareth placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Are you all right?" He asked with worry in his voice.

"I'll be fine." Dark groaned, forcing himself to stretch out. "But I think it's time for bed."

"I agree. I don't think we can top that for a climax." Jareth joked as he walked over to his bedroll. He laid down on it, feeling his rapid heart beat. The two men fell into sleep.

)))))))))))))((((((((((((

"Well, let's get to it." Jareth said.

They were standing at the mouth of the cave, and staring into it's abyssal depths. It was carved into a firm brown mountain of Earth. Jareth and Dark walked into the shadows, and gave their eyes a few minutes to adjust. When they could see, they set off deeper into the cave. They walked in silence for a time that stretched on for such a terrible length. It felt as though time was bending around them, making no sense. minutes passed as years, seconds passed as decades.

"Dark, do you get what's going on?" Jareth asked, turning to the pale warrior.

He wasn't there. Jareth looked around for a while, but the other man was gone. With a sigh, he accepted that this was probably just a part of the trial. He walked on in solitude, and felt a sort of mental cloud haze his thoughts. He couldn't remember where he was, or why he was there. The only thing he knew was that he needed to keep moving forward.

At the edge of his vision, he saw a tiny pinprick of light, so small he couldn't be sure it was there. He rushed towards the pinprick which grew and grew as he came closer, and soon enough he found himself in a brightly lit room. It was a plain room with cobbled panel walls, floor, and ceiling.

The only piece of furnishing was an empty chair to Jareth's right. He stopped and examined the room, finding it had no door.

"Dead end?" he said, half turning back to where he'd wandered in. His mouth voiced a question as he saw the entrance had disappeared.

"Greetings." A voice said, causing the ranger to start. Jareth turned around quickly, and saw the owner of the voice.

)))))))(((((((

Dark was walking through the darkened halls of the cave of trials when he came across his own room. It was dimly lit, with grungy stone walls. Iron links were set into the walls connected to chains which were, in turn, connected to wrist cuffs. A rack stood off to the left with whips, cats-of-nine-tails, brands, and other means of torture. Despite a flame going in the corner, a damp chill settled around the room, sinking into Dark's bones.

He shuddered as he looked at a particularly cruel piece of machinery, then jumped as he felt a hand on his shoulder.

Dark turned about, and saw a shade standing there. It was a being that didn't have a true physical form, only a vaguely humanoid body composed of deep shadows. Cheerful red eyes stared at him over an insanely large grin. It opened it's mouth to speak, revealing it's lack of a tongue. It's voice resonated out from the being's mouth, raspy and shallow.

"Hello, my slave. How good of you to have returned yourself to me." It rasped.

"Who are you?" Dark asked.

"Me?" The shade said, as if Dark had asked him a question that was beyond obvious. "I'm you. The true you. You crave the darkness, the power of it. Your soul is infested with maggots of shadow. Succumb to the dark's seductive pull. Be true to who you are."

"I'd sooner die." Dark said solemnly.

The shade's grin became so wide that Dark thought that it's head must split in half. "We shall see."

Without warning, the world faded and became distant to Dark, he swooned, falling to his knees. Then, everything became black.

))))))((((((

"No!" Link said crossly. "Move your arm like this!"

He rose his arm over his head in an upward crescent, as if blocking an imaginary sword. Then his arm fell to his side, before lashing out, slamming the blade's tip into the what would have been the enemy's chest.

The young soldier standing next to him nodded eagerly, and repeated the movement, though much slower.

"Good enough." Link groaned, moving onto the next soldier.

It was the first day of training, and Link realized that either the average man had become much less impressive, or his abilities had risen to a billion times that of the typical fighter. The motions of nearly all the soldiers were slow and clunky to Link, who had become used to the razor sharp speed and skill of the denizens of Dark world. Of the many soldiers he had looked at, only a few showed any promise.

A large man who seemed familiar in an odd way that Link couldn't place his finger on. He had said his name was Kaden. Then there was another larger man named Marc. Neither of those two had shown much in the way of speed, but their raw strength was impressive. Then there had been Derrick, who had demonstrated his notable skill with the bow and the sword. He was nothing compared to Jareth, but for one from light world, he was damn good. The one with the most ability though, had been a short man named Abel. With his hair hanging in his eyes, and his thin frame, he didn't seem like much, but he had shown a combat ability that none of the others had. There was a sharp look in his eyes that Link liked.

As he carried on with instructing the soldiers, his thoughts turned to Jareth and Dark. He sighed, sending a prayer out that they were all right.

A blade came soaring at Link's face, and he arched himself backward, catching the sword in midstab. He glared at the portly soldier who hadn't realized his commander had been standing right in front of him, reared his fist back, and slammed it into his dumb looking face. The fat man tumbled to the ground, and looked up at Link in terror.

"Soldier, I certainly hope you pay more attention in combat than you do in practice, or you are apt to find yourself roasting over a fire. Everyone! Five minute break!" He said, walking away from the man. He sighed and armed sweat from his forehead. Yards away he saw Orion standing with a crudely wrapped object in his long hands.

"What is that?" Link said, approaching the doctor.

"Well, I know it's a couple days late, but I figured I ought to give you at least something for your birthday." Orion said happily, handing the gift to Link.

"My...birthday?" Link said, as if the whole concept was foreign to him.

"Um, yes. You know, the anniversary of your birth?" Orion joked.

"Yes, of course. Thank you very much." Link said, unwrapping the gift. He saw it was a tome on the art of spellcrafting.

"I got that book almost ten years ago. I don't know why or how, but when I packed to join this army, I felt it would come in handy. When I heard you had learned how to use magic, I thought it was meant for you." Orion noted.

"Well, I appreciate it. It'll be very valuable, I'm sure." Link said with a smile.

"I hope so." The medic said, strolling off.

"Birthday?" Link asked himself. "_eighteen years now._"

He uttered a small laugh, and returned to training.

))))))((((((

Link sat in a chair, looking Jareth over critically. He stood up from the chair, and moved so he was close to Jareth.

"Link? What are you doing here?" Jareth asked.

"What do you think I'm doing?" Link muttered angrily. His hand fell to the pommel of his sword and he smirked. "I'm ridding our group of it's only useless member!"

The blade was out in a flash of silver that Jareth barely evaded by throwing himself backward. Link followed, swinging his sword maniacally, trying to cut down the ranger. Jareth rolled and leaped around the barren room out of the sword.

"Link! What are you doing! We are friends!" He cried. Link looked at him, murder in his eyes. An ugly prideful sneer stole across his face like a fog on an early morning.

"A chain is broken and made useless by it's weakest link, Jareth. You are the weakest link! Do you honestly think we could defeat Ganondorf with a weakling like you amongst us? No! I am doing what's necessary to save us. To save everyone!"

The attack resumed, Link's blade slicing through the air with a manic eccentricity.

"_What is going on!_" Jareth thought in a furious panic as he dove around the room. "_Link would never do this! We are friends! This cannot be real...An illusion. I must have come under some wizard's spell. Nem? No...he's long dead. Damn! Either way, I must fight back!"_

Jareth drew his own sword, and met Link full on. They glared at each other, pushing their steel into their foe's. A grimace passed over Jareth's face and he felt Link's sword coming closer. With a grunt, he shoved the whole of his weight into his sword, succeeding in making Link stumble back a few steps. He dove in like a hawk, slashing furiously, trying to break through the seemingly impenetratable guard. Each strike was dodged with freakish ease by the green garbed swordsman.

"Damn you!" Jareth said, sending another slash, which was blocked. However, he carried his weight through, making his hips shift to the right. As he came across, he brought his leg up and smashed it into Link's temple with a bone cracking "SNAP!". His foot slid across, knocking into Link's nose, mashing it.

Link fell, looking as though he'd been knocked cold out. He hit the ground, his head knocking limply to the cobbled flooring. Jareth sighed relief, and turned away.

A little chuckle began to sound behind him. He spun around quickly, and saw Link spin himself around on the ground, swinging his legs into Jareth's. Jareth toppled over, and Link was on him instantly, batting at him with rapid hands. Blood streamed from his nose like an angry geyser, dripping onto Jareth's face, merging with the blood that soon rushed from his own nose.

Jareth snaked his arm quickly, grabbing Link's arm by the wrist. He placed his other arm on Link's shoulder, then shoved. The result was the foe flipping off of the ranger, slamming into the ground, flat on his back. Jareth curled back, bringing his legs into his chest, and then snapped himself back to his feet.

Weary of being thrown to the ground again, he moved outside of Link's range.

"What is going on?" He asked the motionless young man. "what wizard's magic is this?"

That chuckle came again and Link stood up shakily.

"This is no trick, ranger. This is true. Look at yourself. You're pathetic compared to the rest of us. Look at Alnahim. Master wizard with more power than you've even imagined. Dark? A swordsmaster with magical capabilities. Me? Another swordmaster with all three pieces of the triforce. And then there is you. What do you bring to us? Some petty archery? Subpar swordplay? A pretty singing voice? You are worthless! Do you think Ganondorf will be slain by one of your simple arrowheads? Or by your sword? Maybe you'll sing him to death? No. He will be defeated by me. Destroyed by the people with true strength, while you rot in a grave, like your beloved Karina."

Jareth snapped on the final line, and drew his bow and fired four arrows off faster than he could have thought possible. Link's eyes widened with surprise, and his mouth formed a shocked "O" as the arrows struck him, sending him sailing backwards, and pinning him to the wall. The arrows had pierced both hands and his calves.

"You're right." Jareth said, looking down at the floor, his dark hair covering his face. "I'm not an expert swordsman, let alone a master. My knowledge of magic is so bare I never felt the need to tell you about it. The only thing I'm fantastic at is archery and music, though I'm not quite sure how you knew about the music. But there's something else I have. Aside from my fantastic looks and great sense of humor, I have some knowledge in just about everything!" Jareth's head rose, displaying the fierce fire in his eyes.

"Archery is my main skill!" he shouted, shooting another arrow into the stomach of the being he was now sure was only an illusion.

"But I know a little about magic!" He roared, throwing his bow to the side. He stuck his palm out and three shards of rocky earth rammed through the air, slamming into the figure's chest. Black blood began to seep from the puncture wounds. Jareth drew his sword and walked towards the illusion.

"And I was the one who taught Link so much about the blade!" He cried, impaling the sword through the being's left side. He took several steps back, breathing heavily. The thing which had taken Link's form was pinned to the wall with sickly black blood leaking from it's body, yet it's massive grin never faltered.

"Come now, Ranger. Is this truly the best you can manage? You really _are _weak!" It said.

"Oh, not yet. I'll show you my greatest weapon right now." Jareth said with a cold grin.

))))))))))((((((((((

Dark awoke in a cold sweat, his eyes wide.

"Only a dream..." He muttered shakily, and attempted to bring an arm to his forehead to clear it of sweat. His arm stopped, with a jangle of metal, after only moving an inch. Dark's breath caught in his throat, and he realized his wrists were both bound with iron cuffs, above his head. He looked down and saw the same was true of his ankles. He was chained, facing a wall.

He was trapped.

He pulled with all his strength, but it was in vain.

"Enchanted chains." A distorted raspy voice said behind him. "I knew with your strength those chains wouldn't offer much to bind you."

Dark turned as much as he could, and saw the shadow in man's form. It's giant grin still in place. It was standing over the table of torture devices he had seen earlier. It was looking at a bullwhip a bit too affectionately for Dark's taste. It reached down towards the whip.

"Are you sure you don't want to submit just yet?" The shade asked.

"I'll never submit to you. Not again." Dark growled.

"mmm, good. Let me have a little fun." the shade purred, it's grip tightening on the whip. It brought the whip back and snapped it down with a grunt.

The whip was like a line of fire being set across Dark's back. Through will alone he kept his mouth shut, only letting out a grunt of pain through gritted teeth. A second later the whip cracked again, forcing Dark's mouth open.

"I think we'll go with ten." The shadow said happily. "And don't worry. I won't damage my body to much."

"To hell with you! This body is mine alone!" Dark spat.

"On the contrary," The shade began with another whipcrack. "The body is naught but a tool of the mind and soul. I already have a handhold in those possessions."

"Handhold or no hand-AHH!" Dark said, cut off by the shade's whip. "Handhold...or no handhold, You'll not advance!"

))))))))((((((((

"No. You mentioned something about me singing Ganondorf to death? Perhaps you were not so off. Words have more power than the likes of you could fathom." Jareth said, reaching into his pack and unveiling a beautiful wooden harp.

"Ha...haha...hahaHAHAHA!" The figure laughed. "You truly think to kill me with a harp? You're a fool, as well as weak!"

Without a word, Jareth began to strum the harps strings in a beautiful melody. The being in Link's form dropped it's grin, replacing it with a look of rapt attention. It stared at Jareth's fingers dancing over the strings, creating the beautiful sound.

Then Jareth began to sing. His voice was like a night sky in winter. Clear and pristine. Even and unbroken. Unshatterable. All other sounds ceased as his music coursed through the halls, a deep and ancient power lying just beneath the surface.

The illusion's eyes began to pool with it's black blood, and they spilled over, leaving four thick black lines running down it's face. The magic song swelled, picking up it's tempo, and the blood began to gush faster. It raced from the being's ears and mouth. Withing two minutes,the being was dead, it's look of purest attention still on it's face.

With a smile on his face, Jareth finished the song, and put the harp away. He looked at the body, which had lost it's form of Link. Now it was only a humanoid shaped glob of blackness.

"Words have power." Jareth told the dripping blob. "That song was crafted by my family long ago. It purifies the area around me, removing anything possessing ill will towards one from my family line."

He turned away and saw a new hole had formed in the wall. With the smallest sigh, he walked it's dark path, towards his next trial.

* * *

A/N  
Sorry about this chapter taking a little while to get on here, but as you can see, it was kind of a longer one. I hope you enjoy it. :)


	54. Chapter 53

Dark grimaced as the tenth and final crack of the whip seared his flesh. His back was now a raw and bloody mass of crisscrossing whip marks.

"Do you give up yet?" The shade asked behind him.

"I was going to ask you the same." Dark said with a cold grin. He glanced behind him as far as he could and saw the shadow being's grin widen, displaying more bone white teeth. It reached towards the table, picking up the cat of nine tails. It held the whipping device in it's hand, flipping it about casually.

"Why do you cling? Why do you hold so strongly to the light now? Do you not remember how strong you were with the darkness? Men and demon alike fell to you. Now you are hardly an even match for Alnahim." The shade questioned him.

Dark's breath caught in his throat at the name of the wizard. It was true. When the shadows held him in their power, the wizard had been nothing before him. Now they had proved themselves to be of equal power. Anger flushed through the warrior's body as his hatred flared.

The shade, sensing the weakness, dove in attack, it's body becoming liquid which stuck and clung to Dark's body. It felt like warm tar surrounding his body.

"No!" Dark shouted, gathering the whole of his will. A flash of light filled the shadowy room for a mere second, and the shade was back into it's normal form, on the floor. It was looking at him with those hazy red eyes. The grin still covered it's face.

"Your resolve shall shatter." it cooed. "And then I will own you once more. After all, you are naught but a slave. Already your will weakens and you consider letting me in. In no time at all, I will have my body once more."

"You managed to catch me off guard. Enjoy the small triumph, as it's the only you'll receive in this." Dark said confidently.

The shade reared back and whipped the man with the cat of nine tails. A dozen singes of pain roared into life across Dark's back, and he winced.

"Oh. I must say something." Dark said.

"What is it?" The shade rasped.

"When this is all over, and I stand free of you, I am going to kill you." he boasted.

The shade resumed it whipping, laughing a lilting tittering laugh.

)))))))(((((((

Jareth walked down the dark corridor of the cave of trials, thinking.

"_I don't know what sorcerer brought me here, but I'll see to it that he pays. It's good I pinned that demon. It'd be impossible to dodge and stay alive while trying to play and sing."_

He exited the corridor, entering a dark circular room. Torches were arranged around the room like the numbers on a clock face. A figure stood in the middle, clad in shadows. The ranger squinted, but even his sharp eyes were unable to make out the figure from this distance. He walked forward and his heart sank.

The slim pale dress. The hair of spun gold. The frail frame.

The woman turned slowly, as if she were underwater, and Jareth saw Karina once more.

Her grey eyes were swimming with tears of profound sadness.

"Jareth..." She whispered fearfully, taking a step back. "It wasn't true..."

"W-What do you mean?" He asked.

"When last we met, it was only a ploy. Magus was never truly killed...Still I lived. This has all been a scheme to get you here. In a domain where it could keep you under it's thumb." She murmured.

"No. N-no!" Jareth exclaimed. It all made sense. Magus was the spirits of all the people of Levid. Surely it's magic was strong enough to cause the events in this cave.

"You hurt me Jareth..." His wife said softly. "Your arrow pierced me."

"I'm sorry karina..." The ranger said, taking a step towards her. His wife quickly retreated another step, and that was, in a way, the worst blow that could have been dealt. The one woman he loved was terrified of him. "I...I thought you weren't there..."

Karina's mouth opened for a second, and then she stopped, frozen in time. Seconds passed like hours and Jareth saw her storm-cloud eyes turn into a rainbow myriad of multicolored irises. An evil smile spread over her kind face.

"Your wife is gone, ranger." Magus said. Then, to Jareth's horror, his wife's body began to rot. Years of decomposition passed in just minutes. Her skin grew gray and sagged from the bones. The eyes dulled and eventually were replaced by a wriggling mass of maggots. Skin withered slowly and tore, revealing dull yellow-white bones. Before his eyes, the clothes grayed and became the no color of dust. It ripped and was draped over the bones like dirty bandages. Within minutes only a skeleton with a few patches of dirty dull yellow hair clumping out from it's head stood before him. In the ribcage, where the beautiful heart had once beat, an evil purple light came into life, illuminating the cave with it's eerie glow. A maggot fell from the eyesocket that had previously housed beautiful eyes, and Jareth bent over and emptied his stomach onto the ground. The terrible aroma of rotting meat pervaded the air. Then the bones began to expand and grow, with a sound like a cloth bag being slowly ripped apart.

"This is what becomes of your love, ranger! You are poison!" The demon said with the voice of thousands. "Had it not been for you, perhaps your beloved Karina would still stand!

Jareth's mind nearly broke in that moment. Hatred and purest rage, emotions often far from the ranger's heart, broke free like water through a cracked dam. He fell to his knees, tears of anguish falling freely from his eyes. Jareth began to slam his fists into the ground, paying no mind to the skin that tore from his knuckles. Howls of sorrow erupted from his lips, echoing through the empty caverns.

A low shadowy chuckle fell from the demon's mouth.

"Yes. Weep. Suffer. Fall." It laughed. "You're just as weak as your path-"

"Shut up." Jareth said hotly. He rose slowly to his feet, a man clearly holding the whole of his emotion in check. His eyes were aflame with hatred. "You could hold the souls of ten million people in your damned self. Every single one of those souls could be a powerful magician. But I know what you truly are, Magus! A collection of fear riddled beings that cannot handle the thought of the afterlife. When I pass, I will welcome death's embrace. You have never loved. You have never lost. You only know hate. You are a disgrace to the whole of existance."

"We shall see of that, worm!" Magus roared, swinging a bony arm at Jareth. The ranger's reflexes were sharp, and he skipped backwards, dodging the hideous animal. The ranger continued moving backwards, and drew his bow, nocking an arrow. Magus followed with an apeish gait, all hunched over.

Three arrows whizzed through the air, embedding their sharp arrowheads into Magus' skull. The only response from was a chuckle as he continued his hideous walk towards the ranger, making the ground shake with every footfall.

"You cannot defeat me. I am all. I am one." Magus boasted. He stopped walking, and hovered his hands over his center light like a witch's kettle. The light flared evilly, and three fat featureless worms of the light left the orb. The slinked through the air groggily, as if just woken, and then one end perked upwards. Jareth recognized the motion as an animal trying to catch a scent from the air. The worms seemed to get the smell, and began to shoot towards Jareth, reminding him of how his own arrows had flown.

In an instant, his sword was drawn. He brought the blade through two of the worms, but was unable to block the first. It struck him in the chest, and he felt the ice cold grip of shadow squeeze him. The air from his lungs rushed up his throat and burst from his mouth. After a few seconds of being nearly crushed by the powerful magic, it faded, and Jareth was free again.

Magus repeated his motion, and more worms appeared from the light. They shot at Jareth, who began to run around the room, rolling and evading the shadow worms. More and more of the strange animals were created, keeping Jareth dodging with all his abilities. It only took a few minutes for his body to become slick with sweat.

"_I can't keep dodging forever..._" The ranger thought. "_I need a plan._"

)))))(((((

Dark roared with pain as the sharp pain surged across his back once again. He hung loosely from the chains that held his wrists locked overhead. The enchanted irons dug into and ate his skin raw, but this was only slight discomfort when compared to the lava that had taken permanent residence in his back. Deep tracts of dripping crimson laced themselves over his muscled back. Blood now rushed from all of the deep marks, while it beaded on the lighter ones. Once more the cat of nine tails made itself known, and all the muscles in Dark's back spasmed.

The spasm was so violent that he fell from his feet, grunting as he felt the bones in his wrist pop at suddenly holding the whole of his weight. He regained his footing just in time for the whipping utensil to send him once again into a racking series of muscle spasms. His legs buckled, and his arms rippled rapidly with the intensity of the muscles contracting. He cried out as he felt his right wrist break. When finally the muscles calmed, Dark got his feet under him again, though his muscles ached and creaked at being used after their recent works.

"You're breaking." The shade said satisfactorily.

"I...Won't...break..." Dark choked out through deep breaths. He didn't bother trying to turn around, knowing his stiff neck would not allow such movement. Somewhere far off, he swore he could hear a scream of endless sorrow.

"Oh but you will. I'm truly surprised at how long you've lasted. But eventually those legs will no longer support you. Not only will your wrists break, but your body will rips it's own arms out. You will feel the slow agonizing pain as the arms pop and tear out from your sockets. You will hear the low ripping sound as the muscle between your arms and shoulders stretches and tears like ground meat. And, even more than now, the metallic scent of your blood will clog your nose." The shade said happily. Immediately after finishing it burst into high pitched tittering laughter. Though Dark could not see it, he could tell it's head was raised to the ceiling as it laughed.

"All of that may happen, but I'll still not give in. If necessary, I'll kill you as an armless, legless, toothless man. Because what you don't understand is this..." Dark began. "I have a whole world that needs me. And I have new friends. My new group. Jareth. Link. Even...even Alnahim."

The shade, which previously had acted in full control of the situation abruptly tried to cut Dark off with another crack of the device. Dark winced, but kept on.

"I hated the wizard deeply. More deeply than I've ever hated anyone. But what I refused to see was that he and I were more alike than I cared to notice. Of our similarities the most important is that we both have sins we are trying to atone for in this group. We've had more blood on our hands than we've had water. I don't love him as I loved Leon when I first saw him in my right mind. Nor do I like him as I like Jareth. But he is a part of our group, and I'll not allow hatred to fester within me."

"N-No! Stop that!" The shade demanded, cracking the whip madly. But he was too late. The enchanted iron bands that had bound Dark now lit up brightly with all the colors of the rainbow, and dispersed into nothing but opal powder.

"W-wha?" Dark mumbled dumbly, looking up at his now free arms.

)))))(((((

Another worm of light grazed Jareth's shoulder, cutting through the tough leather like paper. Jareth cursed, flipping around the three other purple beings like a manic dancer, his limbs flinging about ungracefully.

"Yes! Dance!" Magus laughed in it's deep shady voice. Jareth rolled forward, feeling the worm whiz by his head. He sprung up, shooting several arrows at the demon. One slammed directly into one maggot filled eyesocket, sending a mist of the white grubs out into the air. Another smashed into a rib, deflecting off easily. Magus flinched at that one, and growled, ceasing the wavings of it's hands over it's orb of light. It began to walk slowly towards the ranger.

Magus opened it's mouth, which soon filled with the same purple light that occupied it's rib cage. Jareth, sensing what was about to occur, sprinted form his place in the room. Under a second later, the fire in Magus's mouth erupted in a ferocious beam, singeing the ground where Jareth had stood. The demon of many spirits turned it's head towards the ranger, making the beam chase him.

"Damn you!" Jareth shouted as he ran around the demon in a large circle. After a dreadful half minute passed, the beam faded away. Jareth shot several shard of earth from the palm of his hand, and immediately felt the effects of the spell.

"_Damn...I've never been one for spellcasting..._" He thought to himself, frustrated at his lack of mana. "_I need to defeat Magus. But how! It's magic is powerful, and everything I have tried to do has failed. It is unbeatable._"

"NO!" A clear voice rang out within his head. "it is not invincible! You already know it's weakness! You have just refused to see it!"

"_What? Who are you?_" Jareth thought to the voice. Then, quickly, "_No, that may come later, But how do I defeat him!_"

The voice never answered him, though Jareth could still feel it's presence in his mind.

"_Damn! What was it? I've already seen the demon's weakness? What is it!_" Jareth thought angrily. He cursed himself for not seeing what could have saved his life. Magus had opened it's mouth once again, and was shooting another beam of that evil light at the ranger. As Jareth darted around the room, his mind was working at full blast. As Magus's beam faded, the answer came to him.

"Magus_ flinched when my arrow hit it's ribs...The orb in it's core. It must be the weak point!_" Jareth thought, shooting five arrows as quickly as he could. They shot through the air with speed unrivaled, all plummeting into the mysterious purple light at Magus' core. Magus' skeletal form contorted oddly, standing straight up, as if a titan had grabbed it by either end and pulled tightly. Then it whirled about, bending so it's head came back and through it's legs. The spine crackled and popped as it bent and twisted to accommodate the bizarre moment. Finally, the skeleton collapsed, spewing out a random jumble of words and phrases.

Jareth approached the demon, and neared the purple glow. He hesitantly reached his hands towards it, saw their minute trembling, and breathed in. He exhaled deeply and plunged his hands into the light. In the bare center Jareth felt his hand wrap around something cold and hard. He ripped it from the demon, which immediately began to cry out in pain.

"D-Damn you, r-ranger!" Magus roared. "You've taken my hearts. My essence! I'll kill you, rip you apart."

It was still spouting off threats as it's last vestiges of life faded from existance.

Jareth sighed, and plopped onto the ground.

"It's finally over." He muttered to himself.

"But are you so sure of that?" A voice questioned behind him.

)))))(((((

"How!" The shade bellowed in disbelief. "How did you know the magic in the irons was bound to your hatred of the wizard!"

Dark turned, gazing at the shade with righteous resolve in his heart. With his peripheral vision he saw his sword laying on the table, and lunged for it. The shade, thinking Dark was attacking, dove out of the way. As the warrior grabbed his sword, the world stopped. He somehow saw through the thick leather sheathe, and to the sword beneath. The glowing purple runes now seemed ugly and malevolent. But they only scarred the swords beauty for a brief moment. As dark's fingers wrapped fully around the swords hilt, the purple runes burst with divine light, brightening the formerly dark cavern space.

He heard the shade screaming far away but was wholly lost in the light. It's beautiful caress breezed over his skin like the fingers of a lover. Wrapped in it's embrace, he could feel the shadows lift from his mind and soul. Black serpents surged from his chest only to be burnt by the light, fluttering to the ground as ash. He felt the light enter his body, tearing out the darkness that had held him in it's grip for so long. Now, through his resolve and willingness to let go of his hatred, he was purged of shadow. The light faded, as it always seems to do, yet he noticed there was still a warm glow to the room.

He saw the shade in the corner, looking upon him with fear and hatred. As Dark's gaze fell upon it, it looked surprised, and then dove at him with malice. One shadowy arm twisted into a sword-like extremity. Dark raised his hand, noticing his muscles no longer squealed with pain. Light erupted from his palm, bathing the shade in holy light. The shade did not scream, only whipsering one word as it was burned from existance:

"Light..."

Dark looked curiously at his hand, seeing the dull black glove he'd always worn had been replaced by a white one. Looking over himself, he saw that somehow the whole of his armor had been swapped out.

White greaves, lined with Azure, rose up his legs to the middle of his thigh. Two angel wings jutted out from either side of his knees. He was wearing a snow white fauld, a blue cloth hanging from his right side. A dagger hung at his left, and another sword was draped just under his back. A white and blue breastplate covered him, bearing an insignia Dark had never seen before. Blue and white gauntlets protected his hands and forearms, and had ridged spines that looked like they would cut anything they came into contact with. Blue, white, and gold pauldrons were strapped to either shoulder, with spines stabbing out into the air. Lastly, a cape was settled over his shoulder, dropping to just above his ankles.

He drew his sword from it's sheathe eagerly, and looked upon it's holy beauty. He knew at once that this sword was special, and he could not use it against just any foe.

"I do not think the name 'Umbra' suits you now." He whispered. "From now on, you're fullest name shall be denique lux lucis. Lucis blade."

He strapped it lovingly over his back, under the cape. He drew the blade from behind his back and saw that although it was no where close to the newly named Lucis blade, it was still a gorgeously crafted weapon. It's blade was three feet long and curved. The razor edge affirmed it would provide Dark with what he needed. He smiled as he sheathed the blade behind his back. He turned to leave, and was shocked to find a woman standing there.


	55. Chapter 54

Dark looked upon the woman and found her quite beautiful. Crimson hair flowed from the crown of her head, hanging to her waist. Even in the dim light of the caverns it shined with inner light. The intensity of her hair contrasted, not unkindly, with the pale expanse of her skin. Full lips, the color of cherries, were placed under her slim nose. Her eyes were a warm brown, with the barest tinge of hazel to them. She had a slimmer form, but one could detect the muscle and strength that hid within this woman's frame. She was garbed in only a dress of uncompromising white that fell to the middle of her shins.

She walked towards him displaying a smile that he could not help but return.

"I do not mean to be rude, but who are you?" He asked the woman as she approached.

"I am the lady of the labyrinth. Helena was my name in an age long past. It's a name as good as any, and you may refer to me as so." She said. Her voice reminded Dark of wine.

"Why are you here?" He asked. The woman's smile grew sad, and she wrapped her arms around him. Several shudders racked her body, and Dark returned the embrace, awkwardly looking around. Minutes passed like this,until she calmed herself and drew back.

"It was many years ago now. I was to be married to a rich and powerful man. But I did not love him. One of the guards that worked for him saw this, and developed a love for me. He spirited me away from the man's tower. We fled for months, and in that time I grew to love him. It came to pass that I was with his child. The man, however, was enraged at my escape, and sent his warriors to find us. Luke, the guard who saved me, fended off all the attacks. Until the man came to find me himself. The two dueled through the whole of the night and, in the end, both struck fatal blows. The man, with his dying breath, stabbed me with his magic. Luke was...gone, and I died."

Tears welled to the surface of Helena's eyes and spilled over. Dark quickly wiped them away, and she carried on.

"My hatred and anger bound me to this place, and I began to put all who entered through trials against their deepest emotions and weakest aspects. Most did not survive. But, your ranger friend, and you especially, never broke. I've never shown myself to any who have entered this place."

"Then why me?" Dark asked.

"You look almost exactly as Luke did." She said, more tears sliding down her cheeks. "When you arrived, I thought perhaps he had come back to me. That was wishful thinking, I know. You entered, and I saw your darkness. It poisoned your soul and body. I put you through pain and agony, testing to see if you would break. I prayed you would not. And when I saw you could give up your hate, and saw you could give up your darkness, I banished it from you."

"But, you did more." Dark said, gesturing to his holy form.

"Yes. Though I know you are not Luke, I could not allow shadow to touch you again. I used all of my energy to purify you. And to coat your heart and soul in light. You are a divine champion now."

"You...used all your energy? But wouldn't that mean..." Dark trailed off.

"Yes." She said, "I will no longer be bound here. I can carry on to the afterlife."

Her skin began to glow faintly, and she smiled warmly. Dark looked down and saw her feet had grown transparent, and within seconds they couldn't be seen at all. This effect climbed her body slowly. He looked at her, worried, and his eyebrows rose in surprise as she pressed her lips against his. The surprise fell away, and he pulled the woman closer to him, kissing her deeply. The kiss grew in passion, and it appeared the two were trying to meld themselves together through their lips. Dark felt her body disappear, and his arms fell through, hitting his own chest. The lips fell away from his shortly afterward, and he was alone in the caverns.

"Thank you, Dark." He heard her voice ring out.

"Your welcome, Helena." he whispered, still tasting her on his lips. He could feel that the caverns had lost something. They seemed emptier now. He sighed.

"First woman I kiss in over 18 years and she ends up being dead." He muttered, walking back to where he hoped he would leave the caves, and meet back up with Jareth.

)))))(((((

"Who are you?" Jareth asked the woman, weary of being attacked.

"I am the lady of the labyrinth." She said. "The love you hold for you wife is indeed great. This all has been an illusion. As far as I know, the last time when you saw her was the last time Karina ever truly set foot on the ground."

"W-What?" Jareth uttered, surprised and angry. "How DARE you!"

He took a step closer to the woman and then felt the haze that had covered his mind since he'd been separated from Dark begin to lift. It was slow at first, only a couple memories coming to him. Riding to the caverns. Dark's close encounter with the darkness inside of him. But soon after, the memories came rapidly. The witch, Agatha, had told Dark to travel to these caves. He'd butted in and made the choice to go as well. Agatha had told him that it wouldn't be pleasant. That his deepest fears and weaknesses would make themselves known to him.

With his mind clear once more, Jareth stopped himself mid stride. He stood, staring at the woman, before giving a short bow.

"I apologize for my rudeness, lady. My mind has been cloaked in magics, which comes as no surprise to you, I'm sure." He said kindly.

"I accept the apology, fair ranger." She said. "You are the first person I have bared my form to. You will also be the penultimate, as long as your friend manages to stand strong against his own trial."

Jareth eyed the woman peculiarly and only now took notice of her beautiful form. Long red hair, cherry lips, and pale unblemished skin.

"I certainly appreciate you gifting me with your presence, though I have to ask; Why? If you've been here for a long time, I can only assume that several people have entered this place. Why show yourself to me?"

"I can not tell you myself." She said sadly, looking at the floor with a bemused smile. "If I had to supply an answer, it would be that my time grows short, and perhaps I desire some deeper connection with humans before I pass on."

"What do you mean?" Jareth questioned. "Why is your time short? You look healthy."

"Your friend. He reminds me of someone I used to know, long before even your grandmother's birth. His soul is tainted deeply with darkness. The darkness he wishes to rid himself of. No person who's entered here has ever possessed a quarter of the shadow he does. And many have shattered under it's weight. I have been able to cleanse all who've entered. But your friend...will require special efforts."

"So...you must die in order for Dark to return to normal?" Jareth inquired. A deep guilt formed in his gut. He was torn between his duty to Dark and his caring nature. He did not want to see this woman hurt for their efforts.

"Yes. In order for Luke to return to who he was before, I must."

"Luke?"

The woman blushed, bringing color to her cheeks.

"I'm sorry. Slip of the tongue." Then, as if to change subjects, "You've become stronger through these trials. I've used some of my power to sharpen your reflexes and to strengthen your muscles. I've also deepened your rather...diminutive mana pool."

She smiled playfully on the last line, and Jareth adopted an expression of mock agitation.

"Your power is greatly improved, but I cannot say how strong you are in comparison to the allies you possess."

"I thank you, lady." Jareth said.

The lady of the Labyrinth turned from him, and began to walk away.

"The way is now open. Leave this place, Jareth. Dark shall arrive soon."

Jareth heard a low grating sound behind him and turned around, seeing that a new tunnel had appeared in the room. Within it's deep shadow, he could see the light of daytime sun outside.

"Thank you." He said, walking towards the tunnel, knowing that if he turned, the woman would be gone.

)))))))((((((

Link and Alnahim walked down a road lined by tents, towards the one Princess Zelda occupied. 2 days had passed since Dark and Jareth had left the camp, and Link's worries were mounting. As they walked, horrific visions plagued his thoughts. His father being ripped limb from limb by a ghastly monster. Jareth impaled with a spear of shadow. The kind of visions that only a deadly mix of worry and knowledge can bring about. They curled icy fingers around his stomach and squeezed.

Finally they neared the princess's dully colored tent, and Link called out his presence. He blushed again slightly as he remembered the last time he entered the tent unannounced. Zelda's voice returned, telling them to enter. They did.

The objects inside the tent were few, so as to allow easy and quick packing. A bed lay at the far end, with several cloth bags lined up on the ground next to it like string beans. Wooden crates were stacked around the room, with five sitting in the center of the area to act as chairs. Agatha and Zelda were already seated. Alnahim and Link sat down, waiting for the princess to say whatever she had called them here to say.

She looked as though she were struggling to find the right words for a few minutes, so the whole of the room simply hung in anxious silence. When at last she opened her mouth to speak, she was cut off by Agatha.

"Your friends haven't returned yet." She said in her rickety voice. "We are simply wasting time by waiting for their return."

Link looked at her, annoyance displayed on his face.

"Link..." Zelda began uneasily, "What she means is that the troops are just growing restless. They feel that battle approaches, yet all they do each day is train. Now we are just holed up here, waiting for Jareth and Dark to return."

"Which I don't think they will." The witch broke in.

Link was on his feet in an instant, glaring at the old woman.

"You forced him to go to that place, and now you seek to leave before he even returns? They will both return, regardless of whatever you think. With your age, it wouldn't surprise me if your brain has already begun to rot, old witch!" Link continued on, his voice rising with each sentence, "My friends are some of the greatest warriors this world has known. They've stood against stronger and more terrifying trials than you can begin to imagine. Leave your falsehood thoughts away from the realm of reality."

He was prepared to carry on, but Alnahim stood, and placed a hand on his shoulder. He looked toward the wizard, who gestured for him to be silent.

"Quiet, everyone. I hear something." He listened closely, and his typical smirk came across his lips. He looked at Agatha and said, "You would have appeared wiser if you'd left your 'falsehood thoughts' to yourself for just another three minutes."

She opened her mouth to offer a retort but nothing came from her mouth.

Outside, Link began to hear the murmur of a crowd. He turned around, and exited the tent, shielding his eyes from the radiant sun with his arm. His eyes adjusted and he saw two riders approaching the tent. The others exited the tent behind him as he saw the riders clearly.

One was clearly Jareth. The other...Link could not say. Long snow white hair flowed from his head, and he wore white, silver, and blue armor. A lance was mounted in a feathered sheathe over the rear of his black horse. Several swords hung around the rider's waist. The light seemed to bend around him, as if it wanted only to be close to him. His presence was somehow warm and welcoming.

"Link, that rider..." Alnahim began, "His horse...isn't it Dark's?"

It was. The light garbed rider was riding the horse of Link's father. The two riders reached Link and dismounted. It was only now that Link saw who the rider truly was. His jaw hung as he mouthed the word:

"F-father?"

A happy smile came to Dark's face and he embraced Link. He drew back and looked him in the eyes.

"It's all gone now, son. Every last bit of darkness within me."

Link wiped furiously at his eyes, trying to stop the tears that wanted to erupt. He suddenly felt only six years old. His father was finally truly and wholly saved from shadow. After 18 long years, he was even better than before.


	56. Chapter 55

Leon looked over a map of the capital city along with Alnahim, Jareth, Dark, and Zelda. She pointed to a remote spot in the moat.

"That is the passage you all will be entering. It leads directly into the castle, and will be the quickest route for all of you to fight Ganondorf." She said. "While you all are breaking into the castle, the rest of the army will be entering the city, and fighting his soldiers. If we are lucky, which we won't be, our forces may reach the castle in time to aid you."

The group nodded their agreement and took note of the passage's place.

It had been three days since Dark and Jareth had returned from their journey, and much had occurred. Squads and squad captains had been selected, the camp had been moved so they could be at the city in only hours, and the soldiers had all been fully outfitted with armors.

"And, as we've mentioned, you all will be going in tonight, several hours prior to the rest of the fighters. There are rumours of powerful malevolent beings inhabiting the castle, so do not let your guard down."

"You shame me, princess, for believing I'd allow such a thing." Jareth said easy-goingly.

"Perhaps so Jareth, but better to be a shamed living man than a proud dead one." Zelda retorted.

"So some would say." Lance offered.

"Now, rest up. The battle for our land's soul begins tonight." The princess said.

The four turned and left the tent, heading for their own.

Link's heart was beating viciously. The dry salty taste that accompanies intense nervousness had settled within his mouth, and his body had broken out in a cold sweat. The time was coming. He couldn't help but look back over the course of his life, the course of his great journey, and see it all coming to it's roaring climax. Within the next twenty four hours, he would have saved Hyrule, or he would be dead. He finally stumbled into his bed, and lay there for an hour before falling into a queerly easy sleep.

When he awoke, four hours later, he felt as though he had gotten a full night's rest. His fingers still shook a bit, but most of the nerves had left his body.

The time had come.

He arrived at Zelda's tent before Dark, Alnahim, or Jareth, leaving the two of them alone.

She turned and looked at him, her short hair bouncing slightly.

"Hello Link." She said seriously. There was little humor in her eyes today, only the cold readiness of war. "You're a little early."

"I am." Link said. "Princess, it is possible I may never return, isn't it?"

The coldness in her eyes softened a little, and her face grew almost sad.

"Yes. It's definitely possible. Some would say that is most likely." She said lowly.

"What do you think?" He asked.

She looked surprised at the question, but answered anyway:

"I think if anyone on this planet can defeat him, it's you." She sighed.

Link smiled widely, and walked to just inches away from her. She looked up at him, into his sky blue eyes surrounded by the elegant, almost elven, tanned face. He smiled down at her, displaying his surprisingly white teeth. It was a smile she couldn't leave unreturned.

"W-What?" She asked him.

"It is possible I won't return. And if I march to the grave today, I'd not wish to leave this unsaid." Link stated clearly. "From the moment I saw you in the garden, I thought you the most beautiful woman in all the world. Now, after traversing the world, and another one, I can say, without a doubt, that I _know_ you are the most beautiful woman in the world."

Zelda opened her mouth, but didn't say anything. Her eyes sweeped over Link's face, as if examining it for deceit. The hero pressed on.

"Whenever I found myself nearly dying, or in incredible danger, You came to my mind. I got through my adventure with a ton of luck. But, without you, I don't know if I could have stood against everything I did. I don't know if it's youthful idiocy, but, well, over time, I think I have come into loving you. My memories of your voice are my greatest lullabies. Your smile could not be matched by all the stars of the sky."

Link wrapped his arms delicately around Zelda, who allowed herself to be pulled closer to his torso. Her head rested upon the bridge between his chest and shoulder. The world was silent for them for a few minutes, only resting in this position. Link had never felt more content. Still, there was more to be said...more to be done. He held her out from him, and stooped down, looking her in the eyes.

"Today I battle against the greatest force of darkness the world has ever seen. I cannot die without knowing if my feelings are returned or not." He said. Now his heart was beating savagely. This was the moment he needed, and he so incredibly desperately wanted one answer.

Zelda looked at him, unanswering. Then, without warning, she darted forward, and kissed him. It lasted for less than a second, but it left Link shellshocked. He may well have just been dashed with a club. Then the haze faded away, and he pulled her close again, kissing her deeply. Months of frustration and near-death became worth it with the meeting of their lips.

"All right, so how long un-" A voice rang out, accompanied by the sound of the tent door flapping open. Zelda and Link leaped apart hastily, doing their best to look natural. Zelda blushed deeply, and Link let out a nervous laugh, as they saw Jareth's surprised expression. His jaw hung from it's place, and his eyes blinked rapidly.

"Uh...um, I think, um, something to do." the ranger muttered awkwardly, exiting the tent clumsily.

Link couldn't help but erupt into deep belly laughter. Laughter that the princess couldn't help but return. They looked at each other shyly, and approached one another again. Link wrapped her in his arms tightly, and gave her lips several quick pecks.

"Thank you, Princess. If this shall be my reward, I think I could slay a thousand eternal lords of evil." He said humorously.

She laughed a little, and voiced her approval. They separated reluctantly.

Alnahim entered into the tent, along with Dark. Jareth was behind them, looking awkwardly apologetic.

"When do we leave?" Alnahim asked.

"We leave now." Link said, walking past them into the cool air of the early morning hours.

))))))))(((((((

Within a short amount of time, they had made it to the moat of castle town. Silently, they sank into the water, slipping through the secret passage. They swam in this passage for a little over a minute, and Link remembered his trial at Lake Hylia, where the Goddess had nearly drowned him. The party surfaced in what appeared to a castle storeroom, stacked high with burlap sacks, filled with flour.

"Here we are." Link whispered.

"Indeed..." Dark muttered, clearly taken aback by returning to the palace. "it's been a while."

"Let us not forget that we are in the enemy's stronghold." Alnahim advised. "It would be best to be on our guards. Did the girl not say there were three powerful warriors Ganondorf had protecting him?"

"she did say that," Link began, "But with all four of us, they should pose no threat."

"I'd not believe that, Link." Jareth interjected, "These are probably some of the most powerful demons he could find."

"Either way, we'll make no progress just talking." Alnahim said, standing from his crouch, and walking to the door. He placed an ear against it, listening for sounds on the other side. It was evidently clear, as he opened the door. He strode out, followed by the rest of the troop.

He began to walk toward a set of stairs, but was stopped by Jareth, who placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Alnahim, why are you going this way?" The ranger asked.

"This is the direction we must go." The demon replied without looking back.

"How do you know that?"

"I can sense his malice." He said simply, shrugging off Jareth's hand, and continuing towards the stairs.

The torches on the walls made the shadows dance with their flames. The warriors stealthily ascended the stairs, until the came to a large open room.

Another set of stairs were set on the far end of the room, over forty feet away. The room was high ceilinged and wide, causing there to be much free room. It wasn't populated by any racks of gear, or even food, just a plain room with no furniture.

"So you are the ones who so desire my master's end. He told us to expect you." A calm, refined voice came from behind them. Link's mind froze in recognition. He turned slowly, already knowing who he would see.

Vincent Reavis, the necromancer he had fought in the Tribal Temple stood before them in a high collared black cloak. A smug grin was etched across his face as he took in the surprise and horror on Link's face.

"Surprised, little brat?" The necromancer asked boldly. "You thought me dead! Did you not? Oh, how wrong you were! I am unable to be killed! After all, I am a master of death."

"No..." Link murmured. "I killed you! I saw you! The knife buried in your chest!"

"Come now, what would be the worth of a necromancer who dies?" Vincent cried. "My lord, the great Ganondorf, has given me more power than you can imagine! And now I shall get the revenge for my family!"

"If necromancer's cannot die, why are you the last one?" Jareth asked, stepping forward.

Vincent's head cocked towards Jareth, and he let out a massive laugh.

"So you caught me in a lie! Oh well!" Vincent laughed.

"_He's gone mad..._" Link thought to himself.

"So who fights me first?" Reavis said through his made gale of laughter.

"Wha-what?" Dark asked.

The necromancer stopped laughing and looked at them oddly.

"Who will battle me first? The great Lord Ganondorf doesn't care for unfair fights. So one on one."

"And why would we do that?" Link asked.

"Well, because if you don't, he could have the others come down and combat you all at the same time. And I don't think you want to face everyone all at once." Vincent said confidantly.

Link opened his mouth to reply, but was cut off by Dark:

"Very well. We accept the terms of combat."

Link looked at him, and whispered lowly, "What are you doing?"

"It's better than having Ganondorf and two other generals come and fight us all at once. Ganondorf would tear Jareth, Alnahim, and I apart, and then you'd be left fighting all of them at once. I don't care for those odds.

Jareth stepped forward, eyeing the necromancer.

"I'll be the one who kills you." He said.

"I don't believe so. I'll kill all of you until I get to the boy!"


	57. Chapter 56

Chapter 56

Vincent's dagger was out, flying through the air before most men would have seen it. Jareth, being nimble and quick stepped out of the way with ease. Vincent burst out in a cackle, and smiled at Jareth, drool hanging from the left corner of his open mouth.

"You'll be a fine addition. Yes, very fine!" he growled. His hands began to glow within the long sleeves of the robe, and he raised them to the sky. The loose cloth fell down his skinny arms, revealing blue flames to be shimmering all over his palms. And, within the flames, pale skulls danced around, pushing themselves up into the air with their jaws, looking like hideous laughing fiends. Vincent curled his body, throwing one of the skulls at Jareth.

It grew in it's path, reaching it's maximum size of about a watermelon. It rocketed towards the ranger, it's jaw opening and slamming shut. Jareth rolled out of the way, avoiding the skull easily. The second one was on it's way even before Jareth rolled, and he only hardly avoided that one, scaping the skin of his hands against the rough stone brick floor. He rose, and smiled a little, looking at the necromancer.

"Tell me, how long have you been the last of your nearly extinct breed?" He asked snidely.

Vincent, apparently missing the jab, brought a hand to his chin, and began stroking.

"hm...it's definitely been a little while. Over two weeks, definitely. Years maybe? Probably years. A century? Maybe two. It's all so long ago. There was the war, and then the wizard guy who knew magics, and then what? Another war, I think? Hmmm..."

Jareth looked over at his allies, aghast at his opponent's behavior. He gestured towards the thinking necromancer with disbelief. Link just shrugged back, and mouthed for him to be careful. The ranger nodded and silently drew his bow. He shot an arrow at the necromancer and readied another, quick as thought.

Vincent noticed the arrow at the last second and hastily threw up his arm to protect himself. His arm then contorted itself, the bones twisting out of place, making chilling cracking and popping noises. The bone tore from his skin with the sound of a sack being torn. It widened and formed a shield that the steel arrowhead bounced harmlessly off of.

"Hey! That was undoubtably rude!" Reavis crowed. "You go and ask me a question and then shoot arrows at me? Make me expose one of my new powers right off the bat, so ya did!"

Vincent then brought his arm tight across his chest, and ridge-like spines erupted over the shield like protrudement. His arm unfurled rapidly, and the spines jetted out of their place, fast as any arrow.

Jareth cursed and hit the floor, banging his chin against the bricks. He looked at his enemy, and saw him 'reloading' his arm, and hastily got up, sprinting towards the scrawny man. There wasn't any time to draw a weapon, so he simply punched the necromancer in the temple.

Due to his light weight, Vincent soared across the room, slamming head-first into the wall. His crash was paired with the sound of breaking bones.

"Yowza wowza...you've got one _HELL_ of a punch there!" Vincent called out, any idea of class in voice now gone. "Say now...who went and flipped the room upside down!?"

The necromancer rose from the floor, revealing that his neck had broken, and his head had flipped upside down.

"I...But...dead." Jareth muttered incredulously. He retreated a step from the broken man, before steeling himself to remain steady. Vincent's expression changed from confusion to sudden understanding, and he brought his hands to his face. With a grunt of effort, he shoved his head back into place.

"No, not dead. Another new power of mine. See, Lord Ganondorf gave me all sorts of new powers. Capability to manipulate the bonestructure of myself or anyone under my control. Altering my pain and pleasure sensors. Loosening and tightening of nerves. Now...what else was there?" he questioned, tapping his chin with a finger. "Oh yes, my favorite."

Vincent rose his arms to the ceiling once again, and blue fire cloaked his hands. As it grew more intense, the flames in the torches along the wall grew dimmer. Six blue flame worms snaked out from each of his hands, reminding Jareth of his recent encounter with Magus of the labyrinth. Yet these worms did not chase him. Instead they lolled about their master, swirling around his bony arms. The necromancer grabbed a knife from his belt, and brought it across his wrist, severing the skin, allowing the blood to be free from him. The worms pooled around to the blood like animals at a watering hole. They sucked it from the man, growing fat with it.

When the worms had taken their fill, they lazily floated away, giving themselves at least two feet away from anyone else. Then they began to transform. Their forms pooled out from their essence, elongating and flexing. It stretched out from the worm like a star, and took the shape of a human skeleton. The material hardened, becoming the grungy yellow of decrepit bones. Blood-red breastplates formed over the skeleton's chest, and spaulders, grieves, gauntlets, faulds, and helms soon followed. In one hand a same-color shield appeared. In the other, a wicked scimitar. When all was said and done, Jareth was looking at a force of twelve armed skeletal soldiers.

Vincent began to cackle as one of his creations raised it's sword at Jareth and uttered a breathless screech. The skeleton's began to move in on the ranger, who promptly drew his bow, and fired twelve arrows, which hammered in the weak spots of all the skeleton's. All of them fell apart, their bones hitting the ground with hollow clunks.

Vincent stopped laughing and cocked his head to the side.

"What'd you do that for?" He asked.

"Sorry, didn't feel like being killed today." Jareth retorted.

"Oh well, we'll see what we can do about that." Vincent said through his massive grin.

He swept his hands together in the air, and all the bones came close to one another, and them melded together, forming a massive skeleton. All excess bones surrounded the being, and hardened into armor. With this creation, there were no weak points Jareth could use his arrows to exploit.

"My lordeth hath giveneth me the powereth to maketh life!" Vincent crowed madly. "Try your arrows on this one!"

"Damn..." Jareth muttered, slinging his bow over his back. "_What to do? Sharp weapons won't do anything, and I've never carried a blunt weapon. I can't just magic a mace into existing."_

The ranger backflipped, avoiding a horizontal swipe of the monster's massive axe. He circled around the large creature, knowing that due to the size of the weapon, the skeleton wouldn't be able to hit him. It was just too slow. But eventually, he'd get sloppy. Tired. That was when the axe would come down. Perhaps on just his leg, making him fall. Making him crawl across the floor, blood flowing from his stump, as the massive axe came down again and again.

"Damnit, Stop!" The ranger cursed himself. "Thinking like that won't do me any good. I need a plan."

His mind raced as he strafed out of axe range, and he screamed as bright pain seared his calf. He looked down in pain, thinking the ax had gotten him after all, and saw a ring of blue fire, whirling about his leg. He looked, and saw the necromancer pointing and laughing at him.

"I thought it wasn't fair for it to be two on one?!" Jareth shouted at him.

"Oh...Right. Weeellllll, Lord Ganondorf didn't say anything about _me_ using more than one spirit, so I'll take his silence as confirmation." Vincent chuckled, slinging another ring of flames at Jareth.

"Damn you!" Jareth roared, running at him, his cloak whipping out from the speed. He leaped high into the air, and came down upon the frail looking necromancer. He drove his fist repeated into Vincent's face, but could not silence that laughter. Drawing one of the knives from his belt, he brought it across the necromancer's throat, giving the man a necklace of blood. He slowly got up from the man, and turned towards the still advancing tower of armor.

"Perhaps...If I can hit one of the ridges on the helmet..." Jareth murmured to himself. He sank to a knee, and pulled his bow out once more, taking careful aim. If the shot was off too much, the entire thing would be for naught.

The skeleton came closer, dragging the ax along the ground behind him, creating a terrible grating noise. Sparks skirted the ax, the wielder approaching the crouched ranger slowly. Jareth adjusted the bow, closing one eye to see better. The creature was only five feet away now. It picked up the ax and flung it over it's shoulder, preparing to bring it down on the head of the aiming ranger.

"Twang"

the arrow flew, and hit true, striking a ridge upon the helmet at the perfect angle, forcing the helmet off the head of the skeleton. Once again, the fresh air met the dirty skull. Jareth dove between the armored legs of the skeleton, feeling the shaft of the ax touch upon his back as he did so. Popping himself up, he turned while in the air, and fired the final shot, turning the skeleton's skull into nothing but powder. The skeleton stood still before falling forward onto the ground, making the room resonate with the sound of clanging armor.

Jareth hit the ground well, and slid along the floor for a foot or more. Next, he picked himself up, and brushed himself off. He turned back to his group, smiling.

"That was hardly enough to be considered one of the strongest demons Ganondorf could find." He laughed.

"Behind you!" Link shouted.

Agonizing pain burst into life across the ranger's back, and he was forced forwards into the air. He looked behind him in his flight and saw a sight that would be forever engraved into his head. The necromancer had stood, standing in front of a curtain of blue fire. The flames lit him cruelly, making him look emaciated and skeletal. A sheaf of hair, formerly short, now long, hung around his face, and stuck up unnaturally. He held two skulls, one in either hand, his finger clamped in the eye holes. The cloak was now open, and billowed out around him, somehow making the skinny being seem mighty. The cold light of the flames caught the blood across his throat, making it look black. And on his face, was a grin that showed how truly deep the depths of his madness went.

The ranger hit the ground again, this time not well. His head slammed down, bashing into hard floor. The result was temporary paralysis. He struggled to move his bastard limbs as the manic necromancer approached him, the flames following.

"That makes two who have thought me dead by knife strike. And both stand before me today!" He cackled. "Two who have thought me weak. And now they will know the power of me. The power of Vincent Reavis. The power of _TRUE_ necromancy. Our founder, Veinhart, knew nothing of how deep our power could go. Lord Ganondorf has awakened my true strength..."

With every word Vincent took a step forward, bringing him closer to Jareth. The ranger could move now, but not efficiently. They all felt like they had five hundred pound weights attached to them. He could not stand.

"...So it is the death of you first, Jareth, was it? You shall be the first member of my newest family. Followed by Link. And then who? The one with the pretty white hair? Or the purple-eyed one who seems to always look pissed off!? Oh, it's better than deathsday presents!"

Vincent stood over Jareth, and looked at him as one looks at a helpless child.

"It's a shame. I thought you'd give more of a fi-OOF!" Reavis was cut off as Jareth grabbed his own leg, and shoved it, kicking out Vincent's legs. The necromancer fell to the floor, and Jareth rose shakily, stumbling away from the sorcerer of death. He bounced clumsily, trying to restore the feeling to his limbs.

The flames expanded, covering the walls. Vincent stood up and smiled happily at the ranger.

"There you go!" He shouted. "Give me some value! Some razzle for my rupee!"

Jareth fired an arrow with fingers that felt like sausages towards Vincent. A plate of bone burst from his foe's forehead, and the arrow slammed into the plate, quivering from the force of it's impact. The bones shifted, making the arrow drop out, and reentered the body.

"Come now! We've already seen your arrows don't do much. What else do you have?" Vincent asked eagerly.

Jareth rose a hand quickly, and two shards of Earth burst from the palm. They hurtled through the air, and Vincent let out a shriek of either surprise or joy. Each shard impaled him, and caused a small explosion of blood. The force from them shoved him back a few feet, and he looked down at the wounds. His hair hung down, hiding his face.

"So, you know of magic, eh? I'd not have thought it of you, just by looks. But this makes things very interesting. Very interesting indeed. But let me guess. Magic is not your first art. I cant tell. After all, what sorcerer puts away the robes and staff for leathers and a bow?" Vincent's upper body curled up, revealing a bloodthirsty snarl. "you are polluting my art!"

With that, the necromancer began shooting ghastly skulls at the ranger once again. Jareth, finally in full control of his body again, ran to his right in a wide quarter circle, firing arrows like a madman. Each arrow thumped harmlessly into Reavis's bone shield.

"_How do I kill him? I've stabbed him and shot him. My arrows are useless, and he won't die of bloodletting. Must I truly go so far?_" He thought. Jareth unexpectedly altered his course, now running right toward Vincent. He leaped over one of the massive skulls, and resumed his advance, closing the gap. He drove his fist in between Vincent's eyes, making the man fall over. In a flash, Jareth's sword was drawn, and he fell on top of his enemy. He clenched one hand around the handle, and braced the other midway up the blade. He grunted and forced the blade down on the scrambling man's neck. It passed through with a hideous sound, and Vincent grew still.

"_Finally..._" Jareth thought, standing up once again. Outrageous amounts of crimson liquid pooled from the separated parts of neck. He grimaced at the sight, and walked towards his allies.

"Jareth, I had no idea you knew magic!" Link exclaimed.

"It's a skill i've picked up along my life." He groaned. "I didn't have much of a mana pool for a long while, so it was always pointless to use it in combat. In the cave of trials, one of my rewards was it was deepened."

"Any other tricks you're hiding away from us?" Link asked with a wink.

"Perha-" Jareth began. He was cut off by a familiar mad laugh. He turned around, feeling very slow, and saw the necromancer laughing at the heavens. His head was firmly attached to his shoulders, with only the faintest trace of an incision.

"How!?" Jareth roared.

"When one is beheaded, they go through about thirty seconds of terrible horrible thoughts before their brain shuts down. Fortunately for me, I just extended a bit of my spinal cord to drag my body back together, stitched up my nerves, and boom! Here I am." Vincent said through his smile. "I've never been decapitated before. That certainly was an odd sensation. Wonder if I could use that on a woman?"

Jareth howled in anger and frustration, and unleashed a barrage of arrows at his foe. All of the arrows bounced off the impenetrable wall of bone, falling to the ground without drawing blood.

"Now, Now Jethy-poo, you've used the arrows long enough." Reavis scolded, shaking a finger at the ranger.

"J-Jethy-poo?" Jareth mouthed to himself.

"Yes Je-" Vincent started. He was interrupted by Jareth charging him, and kicking him with all his strength. Vincent sailed through the air, and hit the wall, much like the first time. Only this time, Jareth was in close pursuit, a dagger in both hand. He quickly grabbed Vincent's wrist, and slammed the dagger through and into the wall. He repeated the process with the other, effectively pinning the enemy. The necromancer looked at the knives, bored, and then swung his gaze back to Jareth.

"Knives? Again? Oh dear! Is all you know knives and bows?"

"Not quite." Jareth said, stepping back, and pulling out his harp.

"_Alnahim...I pray your intentions towards us are not ill...If not...I'll have killed two powerful sorcerers today..._" He thought.

"Ooh! Ooh! Yes! Sing me a lullaby! What good will that harp do you!?" Vincent asked, raising his legs and clapping his feet together.

"Let this lullaby be your requiem."

Jareth began his song, and it filled the room. All the other noises were drowned out, as if all of the creatures on the planet had stopped to listen. The music had a life of it's own, pulsing in the ears of all who listened. Vincent began to laugh silently, his lips rising and falling madly, as thick black mucus fell from his eyes. He mouthed several words, none of which could be heard over the supernatural melody. Reavis' laughter ceased, replaced by an insane grin. The black liquid pooled out from the gaps between his teeth, staining them. His eyes dissolved completely, gone. Finally, his skin began to melt and turn black. The song continued until the necromancer was nothing but a puddle on the floor. He had held the grin until the last vestiges of his face had melted away.

The ranger ceased his song, and fell to his knees. Breathing deeply, he placed the harp aside. The battle had brought him to his limit. He was exhausted and tired.

"_At least I've...played my role. One down...three to go._" He thought, before collapsing and passing into shadow.

)))))(((((

When he awoke he was sitting against a wall with his friends sitting around him.

"Nice job!" Link said, clapping him on the shoulder. "That song you did, it was amazing! How did you do it!?"

Jareth breathed deeply, and chuckled a little.

"My family was known for it's music. That was an enchanted song that killed any who bore us ill will, as long as they were able to hear it."

"Why haven't you used it before." Dark asked.

"I have used it once before, in the cave of trials. I have to focus a lot of energies to play the song, it takes concentration. Concentrating on the energies, playing the right notes and singing the right words is hard enough. Having to run around while I'm doing it would be impossible. I'm only able to do it once I've pinned my foe." Jareth answered.

"You have fought well." Alnahim said.

"I'll take that as high praise from one such as you." Jareth said with a grin. "But you all know what this means, correct?"

Link looked confused at him, and asked him what he meant.

"It means that Alnahim's mysterious, unknown motives aren't meant to cause our deaths." Jareth said. "There's no way he's seeking to betray us."

"As if there was any way he'd do that!" Link exclaimed. "Alnahim hates us way less than he hates everyone else. Ain't that right, Al?"

"A-Al?" Alnahim asked with disgust. "We've got places to be. Once Jareth is able to stand and walk, we'll be heading to the next floor. And if we are doing one on one battles, we will have to see who is fighting next."

"Always dodging the question." Link said with mock exasperation.

"I think I will be capable of standing." Jareth said, pushing him self up.

"Very well. Let's go." Alnahim said.


	58. Chapter 57

The first thing they noticed about the room was the icy chill which hung in the air. It cloaked the room with a depressing aura. A sense of hopelessness. No torches lit this room, instead being only as bright as the moon shining through the hollow window would allow. The moon invaded the room, gifting the thick fog with it's light. Shadows clung to the walls, daring to seep out into the floor. Steady and unmoving, they dared the intruding travelers to enter within it. That it might deliver them a silent fate.

"This room gives me the creeps..." Jareth growled, one hand cupping his bruised ribs.

"I know what you mean..." Dark said uneasily. "Be wary...our next combatant lies within the shadow."

They heard the soft laughter before the tall figure walked from the shadows. It was no wonder that the party, even with their sharp eyes, had been unable to see him. He was slightly taller than Dark, no more than two inches. Long black pants of some sleek material ran down his legs crossing over his pointy black boots. His hands were hidden in the pockets of the long black trench coat he wore. It fell to below his knees, and the bottom had had triangles cut neatly from them, making the coat look like it fell to demonic black teeth. Silky straight black hair fell to the mid point of his back, and framed his slim pale face with several strands falling into his face.

The light caught the upper half of his face, and Link thought it possible this demon had never seen the light of day. Crimson eyes looked at them with good humor. A ghost of a smile hung on his lips. He possessed an elegant face, with high cheek bones and a sharp chin.

"Greetings" He said simply. His voice was soft and breathy. It was almost seductive, in a way.

"We know what you are planning to say, and we ask that you step aside, stranger. It is not necessary for you to die today." Dark said.

"You've not an idea of what it means to die." He said.

"Who are you?" Jareth questioned.

"The name I have been given is Raysu. However, the name isn't me."

"What does that mean?" Link asked with hostility.

"One's name is not who they are. Name's are simple creations, made by sentient beings. The instant you were born, natural as you could ever be, you were nameless and scared. Just another life form on a planet filled with countless other beings." Raysu stated emotionlessly. He looked out at the moon, shining through the window, and sighed. "Living creatures are hellbent on definition. When the planet was created, did the moon possess a name? No. It is only through the desire of the living that it was torn down and classified."

"I'm afraid I don't see the point." Jareth said.

"I suppose you wouldn't, ranger. I suppose the only thing you must know is that you are only a grub. You are one of the uncountable beings on the planet that possess life. You aren't special. Nor are your friends. Nor am I. Nor is Ganon. We all possess life. And we all die. Sooner or later, you just can't luck away from death. Our live's or no more valuable than the worms writhing in the dirt."

"Then why do you work for him?" Link asked, his fist clenched in front of him. "If you find yourself to be his equal, why allow yourself to be underneath him?"

The figure shifted, turning his body directly toward the window.

"Ganon is greedy beyond all other things. His unending lust for power is proof enough of that. When he claims the whole of this kingdom, and the final piece of the triforce, he will be content...for a little while."

"And then what?"

"And then his greed will grow. There are lands outside of Hyrule's border. And he will conquer them, unifying the whole of the world under his flag. Yet still, his avarice will be left unquenched. He will dive deep, seeking more power. And then? He will rip apart the world. All life will cease. Our useless existences shall be snuffed out, once and for all. Once again, everything will be unclassified. Barren."

"You're with him because you only want the world to become an empty husk!?" Link shouted, shocked at Raysu's motivation.

"Ganon is simply an end to my mean. And if killing four men is what it takes to keep that end safe, I shall do it. No different from crushing a fly." He said.

"Hey! If you want to die, that's your own business, but why drag the whole world into it!?" Dark asked angrily.

"I am unable to truly die. Time and Time again I return. Be it months or millennia, I come back from the grave. True death is beyond my capability. Yet, if there is no world to return to, there wouldn't be any way I could return. My death would be eternal."

"We are going to stop Ganondorf, even if we must go through you, Raysu." Dark said, stepping towards him.

"So you shall be the first to know death's beautiful touch?" Raysu asked calmly, turning and looking at them for the first time.

"We shall see." Dark said, unsheathing the blade from behind his back.

The two eyed each other unmovingly, willing the other to take the first move. Dark made the first advance, charging the demon. As he got within range, Raysu leaped into the air, his coat billowing like bat wings. From the one simple movement, it was clear he was fast. He landed gracefully, his boots making a small click as they hit the ground. He turned around, and eyed Dark sadly.

"You have a brightness to you. A holy touch to your soul. You are beautiful. It will pain me to end you."

"You don't have to do this! You can stop." Dark yelled.

Raysu shook his head, making his hair swing in a pendulum. He lifted his arm, and clenched his hand, so it looked as though it were clutching an invisible ball. Within his palm dark purple energy began to swirl about.

"Shadow magic..." Alnahim whispered lowly.

The energy contoured itself into a perfect sphere the size of a grape, and sank into Raysu's hand, disappearing in the flesh. He spent one moment, gazing into his palm, and then disappeared.

Dark looked around hectically, scanning the room for any sign of the ghastly apparition. There were none. His eyes searched frantically for something. Anything. A flapping coat, caught by the moon's light. Perhaps a sliver of his pale face. As his inability to find Raysu became more evident, so did his panic. It wasn't an emotion he was used to feeling, yet...something had brought it out of him. Gone inside and torn it from his bosom. Perhaps the foggy room or full moon. Whatever it was, the fact remained that Dark had lost the man trying to kill him.

"Looking for me?" He heard the voice whisper in his ear. Dark tried to turn, but couldn't move himself. His legs wouldn't obey. Somehow, Raysu had gotten behind him, and had entranced him. Long fingers stroked Dark's right cheek, and pulled on his hair, almost lovingly. The touch was cool, yet disturbingly pleasant. The orb of energy that had found refuge in the pale one's palm now exited, revealing itself once again to the dark room. Slowly, it orbited the paladin's head, and Raysu slipped away, back into the shadows.

"Farewell, lovely."

Still, Dark was unable to move, despite his greatest effort.

"_I can't move!_" He thought. "_Only one choice_"

He closed his eyes, and focused inwardly. He had no other option. Breaking the seal to his mana pool, he gave the energy a quick second to flow before gathering it to his mind, and letting it pour out in a torrent of dull white light. The light spread power to his limbs, and he dove from the circle of energy, moments before it erupted in a small explosion of darkness. The blast would have knocked Dark unconscious, if not killed him.

"This is your light?" Raysu asked momentarily exposed as the light illuminated the darkness. Then his wonder was lost, and he willed the shadows to return and assault the light. As the darkness returned, he fell away from sight once more.

It was a peculiar feeling for Dark. The light that swelled from him was his energy, and as such was bound to him in a way. And Raysu's darkness was encroaching upon it, shoving it back within Dark. He realized that his aura of light was locked in a battle with what must have been Raysu's aura of shadows. With this knowledge, he shoved outwards with his aura, seeking to fill the room with light. It would remove Raysu's advantage, at the very least.

Their aura's clashed intensely, ripping into each other and rippling like flames. Dark grunted as he forced more of his mana into the attack, unsuccessful in his efforts to eradicate the enemy's veil of shadows. No matter how much he will it, the shadows would not disperse. It was like shoving against a brick wall. There was no getting past it.

"I commend you. None have been able to combat my cloak of shadow so exceptionally." The soft voice came from behind him.

Dark turned as fast as he could, eyes wide with shock.

"When..." was all he managed to whisper before he felt the demon's palm cup his stomach. An instant later blistering cold broke out over his stomach, climbing his body, and encompassed his torse. Dark's lungs contracted, and his breath immediately began coming in short desperate hiccups. He looked into Raysu's eyes and saw the passive crimson eyes looking him over, before he stepped away, fading back into darkness.

The icy glove tightened it's grip, forcing more air from Dark's lungs. He dropped his sword, and tried to rip away the ice in a mad frenzy. His fingers dug themselves into the hollow in the middle of his chest and pulled violently, but with no luck. The thick ice remained in place, it's deathly cold squeeze draining Dark of all his will to battle.

Before he knew what he was doing, he willed the aura that still surrounded him to surround the ice block. Forcing his energy into it, the ice began to melt, and he felt the intense heat roiling off from the light. The last layer of ice ringing his chest melted away, and he drew several deep breaths.

"_Where is he?_" He thought, looking around the room, not catching any sign of the demon. "_I can't allow him to sneak up on me again._"

Dark retreated, placing his back against the wall. Now, secure that he couldn't be taken by surprise, he resumed his search of the room. Even with all of his energy going to provide light, Raysu's darkness still did an adequate job of hiding him. No sign of the demon stuck out into the viewable realm. There wasn't even sound to go on. The demon was as quiet as the shadows he emulated.

"Where is he?" he whispered in frustration.

No reply came from the seemingly empty room. With a sigh he unfastened his cloak. It fell to the floor with a soft hush, and revealed the blade strapped across his upper back. He reached up and grasped the hilt firmly, and felt a clarity descend over his mind.

"I was praying that Ganondorf would be the first one to feel it's wrath." Dark sighed in wonder as he pulled denique lux lucis from it's hallowed sheathe. The white runes were glowing strongly, as though it sensed the deep dwelling shadows in the room. The light from the runes pulsed in and out, growing stronger with each outward push. The light throbbed from the blade, gifting the room with light. The shadows shoved against the sword's light, and maintained their dominance, but Dark could sense the power behind them was fading. Soon, the room would be filled with light, and the advantage would be his.

"Raysu. This is your final chance. Let us pass and live on. If you do not, you shall meet my blade." Dark called into the shadows.

"Death by sword is naught but another death for me." Raysu said from the shadows. His voice was accompanied by three purple darts of shadow whizzing out from the void at Dark. One struck him in the upper thigh, another his chest, and the final just grazed his left shoulder. He recoiled at the sudden pains in his body, and felt the darkness seeping into his body. His light, now augmented by the sword's touch, delved through his blood stream, forcing the evil from his veins.

"Your poison won't work." Dark said calmly. He took a step forward, now confident, and pointed the sword towards the dark. The shadows sank away like a scared animal, and Dark smiled thinly. He felt the hand snaking down his neck too late, and only managed to start a dive before his sword was torn from his hands. Raysu, eager for the holy blade to be out of his hands, threw the sword aside as if it were scalding. It struck a wall and sank over half of it's length within, shaking madly.

"The blade is your greatest strength. Without it your light dulls and you grow weaker." Raysu said as the shadows deepened in the room. They swirled and fell close to him, as though they were living. Horrific shapes began to pop out within them; Unspeakable creatures of evil and darkness. Most any other man would have been terrified. For surely, this was meant to prey upon the weakness of a man's heart. To tear their inner fears, bold and unquestionable, from the womb, and shove it in their face.

"Your shadows scare me not, Raysu." Dark said calmly, edging his way closer to a wall. "I have delved far deeper into darkness then you probably ever will. I do not fear the darkness, nor the unknown creatures that lie within. I bedded with these creatures for nearly two decades. They dug into my soul, like parasites, and made burrows for themselves. When they roared, I roared. A prisoner to the darkness was all I was. And it is all you are. An empty vessel working for your demons, instead of confronting them."

"You are wrong." Came the response. "There is a difference between you and I. You fell into the darkness unknowingly, as most men do...I, however, dove within it's unending abyss. And I conquered it. You were a slave to the darkness. The darkness is a slave to me."

"While I admit, I did not know the final result of my actions, I entered the darkness willingly. Most men don't escape with their soul and hearts. I fought hard, and only retained a portion."

"I'm impressed. Yet, I lost nothing of myself. There was nothing left for the shadow to take...except my life. And nothing seems to want that. At least, not for too long."

The room exploded with bright stars as Dark felt a blunt object pummel into his right temple. He swooned, taking two steps to the left to balance himself and fell to one knee. Anger touched upon the top of his emotions like the first drops of rain before a storm, and he rose up. White mist began to roll off him quickly and the room quickly heated up. Outside, the sky was just beginning to peak with the first touches of warm colors so dull you could hardly see them. Dark's aura of light expanded beyond himself, lunging into the darkness like a hungry lion. He heard a grunt of surprise and momentary resistance in the darkness before his light crushed it away.

The room filled with light, revealing Rayu staring at him. Surprise reigned on his typically expressionless face before even that faded away.

"None have broken my aura. You're far different from all the others I've met." He said coldly.

"Maybe I am. Or maybe I'm just like you, only on a different scale." Dark claimed.

"What do you mean?" The pale demon said, holding his hands out as they began to glow with purple energy.

"You are nearly pure darkness." Dark began as he ran for his sword. He reached it and pulled it from the wall with a light grunt. Raysu pushed his palms forcefully into the air, and countless beads of energy assailed the now sprinting paladin. "Yet I am nearly pure light. We are two extremes on either end of the spectrum from each other!"

He dove madly into the air, clearing the beads of shadow by just a hair, and hit the ground in a roll. Dark slid on the floor, sending a grating sound into the air, just under Raysu. He slashed madly at his enemy's calves, but the demon leaped into the air, sailing slowly away from him. He landed, and turned around, adopting a wide-legged stance with his hands locked in front of him as though he were holding a sword. He stared at his hands intently, and Dark could feel the energy shift in the room. Black energy took root in Raysu's hands just as the demon spread his hands out creating a massive orb of evil. He raised one hand over his head, the orb still growing with darkness. His arm came crashing down, and the ball of energy sped toward Dark, who only just rose his sword in time to take a massive blow.

Even with the powerful magic of the lucis blade he was picked up into the air by the sheer force of it. Moments later he touched down with his feet once more, still sliding back as the ball tried to break through the sword. A snarl of effort stretched over Dark's face as he gave a mighty shove, sending the ball back toward it's owner. Raysu opened his arms like expecting an embrace, and sphere slammed into his chest, only being absorbed into the demon's body.

"My energy cannot be used against me. If you wish to defeat me, you must use your own."

Dark thrust his sword into the open air and fired three medium sized spheres of light. Raysu was taken by surprise, and took the first ball head on. It slammed into his chest, still exposed, and exploded with holy light. The next two balls met him in rapid succession, making his coat ripple as if in gale force winds. He fell to a knee and his mouth wrenched open with a choking sound.

"_Now's my chance!_" Dark thought, willing his aura to attack the kneeling foe. It wrapped his neck in light, and lifted him into the air by his throat. The rest of his body hung limply in the air like a man at the gallows, long limbs left swaying.

Raysu's left arm came up, grabbed the slender light, and clenched his hand into a fist, shattering it. He fell to the ground, and rose, looking at Dark. He glanced outside and saw the sun had just begun to rise over the hills. Dark followed his gaze and saw the first of the day's war had broken out in the city below. Soldiers of their own army fought the mad Gerudos of Ganondorf's.

The demon turned toward the window and opened both palms. Dark, not liking where this was going, began to run towards him, but was too late. The few remaining shadows of the night began to pour through the window pouring into Raysu's hands. It was like a flood of jet black ink had occurred and was now pouring into the room.

"I should have used this earlier." Raysu claimed. "I absorb the night and convert it to energy. At midnight when there is no moon, I am on the border of undefeatable."

The torrent of dark stopped, and Raysu gleamed with an evil light. Pale blue and icy cold, it outlined him. Dark prepared himself and the two champions of light and shadow began to circle each other.

)))))((((

Zelda led one small invasion force of her own into the city. Half of the soldiers used the same passageway as she, and came up into castle town in a little used granary. At one time it had probably been a grand storehouse, but now it was decrepit. Grungy black spots covered the stone, and over half of the windows were broken. The morning was still quiet, and the princess took it in while she could. All of her nerves were on end and her mouth was dryer than it had ever been.

The time had come.

The last man rose from the trap door, and she met quickly with the captains of each squad, reminding them of their objectives and responsibilities. Finally, the door was opened, and enemies of Ganondorf poured into the streets of castle-town. Her team followed behind her as she ran through the familiar streets. No guards had taken notice, yet. And, if she was lucky, she could stall them for just a small amount of time. She knew where the closest watch tower was, and knew it needed to fall quickly.

She was amazingly perceptive of her surroundings, noting the minute chill in the air and the sound of her and her squads feet hitting the stone streets. Arduous minutes of running passed, and they reached the watchtower.

It was a large structure made of stone. It stood up from the ground, meant to be higher than almost every building in the city, so as to allow a clean view of the city by anyone looking out from the top floor or the roof. The roof was complete with ramparts and holes for snipers. The uppermost floor did not possess walls, instead being largely open space with four pillars coming down in key points to hold up the roof. A foul stench clung to the air as Zelda's squad began their climb.

A soldier standing watch outside the door noticed them, and tried to draw his sword. Zelda noticed the soldier was a man, meaning not all the warriors were gerudo. Her knife passed through his ribs and wrenched upward, and she kicked him away, continuing the climb.

Argos, her second in command, followed close behind, his bow primed to fire. Another guard made himself known, and was greeted with an arrow in their throat. She burst through the door, and three guards rose from their table, sending their chairs clattering to the ground. Zelda lobbed two daggers, taking out all but a third of their group, and Argos took out the final man. Another guard, roused by the noise from this level began to descend the stairs, asking what all the noise was about. Argos gave another of his arrows a home, and the force bounded up the stairs.

Each floor held several guards that were quickly dispatched. Barring the first floor, they group was quiet. If they soldiers realized what was happening, they would sound the alarm, ruining the element of surprise for all others.

Zelda remained unmoved, until she reached the sixth and final floor. As they had gotten higher within the tower, the foul stench she had detected had grown stronger and stonger. It was never stronger than when they rose into the sixth floor. The head of this guard tower was staring out over expanse of city, one hand behind his back, the other gripping his saber. Zelda motioned for several of her men to go the rooftop and secure the tower as she and the rest approached the head of the tower.

The captain turned about quickly, displaying his morbidly rotting cranium. His skin sagged from his face in uneven lumps. Brown and yellow sores burrowed through his skin to the bone of his skull. His mouth was permanently set in a terrifying grin that spread from ear to ear. Argos shot the thing in panic, and it looked at them with half-rotten eyes. It's free hand came up and tore the arrow from it's shoulder.

The creature ran at them, it's saber ready to strike. Zelda screamed, and raised her knife, blocking the slash. The undead leaped back into the air, and issued a wheezing, pained laughter. More arrows thumped into it's flesh with no effect. One brave soldier, a middle aged man, ran at the monster with an axe, only to have it's sword pierce his heart. The man collapsed onto the ground, clutching at his chest. The decaying thing knelt down and tore the mans ear off and placed it in his mouth, chewing it with obvious pleasure.

"What the hell is that thing!?" Someone asked in horror. The monster looked up at them and rose. It began to choke out puffs of breath. Then Zelda realized what it was doing. It was trying to speak. She listened intently with deadly fascination.

"Co...C...Colonel...D-D...Damian."

"Colonel Damian?" Zelda asked the standing corpse. The figure nodded it's head slowly, and then tore the other ear from the dead man. She turned to Argos. "This is what Ganondorf has done. This man was once alive, and has been wrested from his sleep unwilling."

Soon, Colonel Damian grew bored of the man, and ran at the assorted masses, it's saber raised. Zelda side stepped a thrust of the long blade, and drove her knife into the undead one's skull. It pierced the weakened bone, and she felt it tear through the organ of the brain. The undead writhed quickly, and slumped to the ground without warning.

"W-What?" Argos asked, running a gloved hand through his raven hair.

"It must be their weak point..." The princess muttered to herself. She turned to the rest of the group. "Ganondorf has come across a way to raise the dead. If you encounter an enemy such as this one here, you have to attack it's head. You must destroy the brain!"

The soldier nodded their agreement, and Zelda walked to open window. Some other forces had apparently begun their battle, though no siren wailed through the air, which was a benefit to their campaign. Nostalgia surged through her veins as she remembered days when she was younger, that her father would take her to one of these watch towers and let her look out over the entire beautiful city. Her eyes were drawn to the palace in the center of the city, the only building taller than the towers. The huge spire where Ganondorf, in his vanity, now probably sat. And as she watched Link, Jareth, Dark, and Alnahim were battling there way through that tower.

A bright blue beam of light broke through the wall of the spire, obliterating it. The beam extended out at least two miles in a perfect straight line, rocketing out from the dust cloud and debris of the explosion. Unthinking, she lunged forward and shouted one word with her hand outstretched to the chaos in the tower:

"LINK!"

* * *

A/N  
Yeah! New longest chapter. And one I hope isn't dreadfully painfully boring.


	59. Chapter 58

)))))(((((

Zelda's every instinct told her to run to the castle spire, to climb it, and to make sure Link was okay. She desired nothing more than the knowledge that the hero was safe, but she had an operation to run. The sirens had still not begun to wail, but she knew their time was limited. Turning to her group, she recounted the necessary efforts.

"We've capture one of the three guard towers that we have to. We will leave some soldiers here to occupy the tower and defend it from invasion. To the soldiers that are left here, do not be caught unaware." She warned. "The enemy will soon realize what is happening and will try to win back their towers. If we can take the high ground before they know what's occurring, then we will be able to complete our end of the war."

She selected several soldiers to stay behind, and the rest of her brigade exited the tower, beginning to run to the next one. As her feet pounded away on the pavement she tried to force her thoughts away from the man in green. He had been her champion from the very first, and now his fate was unknown to her.

"_What could that blast have been?_" She thought shakily before dismissing the idea and focusing on the watchtower that grew closer with every moment.

As they began to climb the stairs of the tower, the war sirens began to wail. They had a horrible sound, like the low mewling of some dying animal.

One of her soldiers kicked through the door, managing to catch the soldiers, gerudos this time, in surprise as they were readying their gear. The women fumbled with their scimitars, being cut down by Zelda's forces. As the final gerudo fell, she let out a scream, signifying that the enemy was upon them.

Ten soldiers filed down the stairs and pointed at Zelda's crew with long lances, hoping to push them back into a corner, where they could be easily skewered. With the thrumming of a bowstring, a soldier lost his eye, letting his lance drop to the floor as he clutched his eye and screamed. Zelda quickly grabbed the lance and swung it horizontally, cutting the throats of the soldiers before they had time to react. She held the lance and gestured her own soldiers up the stairs with it. She followed, wondering just how many undead creatures inhabited this tower.

The reached the next floor and clashed with the enemy there. The enemy was prepared now, making the battle much more difficult. The day's second loss was born, a young man, no older than twenty, with short black hair. Zelda wanted to kneel by him, and pray, but the battle must come first. They continued to climb the tower and defeating the soldiers, and luckily no more casualties had been made as they cleared the fifth floor. She breathed deeply and could smell the same rotten scent as before, but it was fainter.

"This is the sixth floor. The undead, if our recent experience is correct, should be up above. Proceed with caution, and remember, his head is his weak point." She ruled.

"Yes mam!"

The soldiers hustled up the stairs and came to the final room. As Zelda entered she saw the man had clearly been a knight. Shining gray armor coated his body, with a closed helm protecting his head. A thick broadsword occupied one hand, with a large box shield covering the other. The knight walked towards the group slowly, his armor clanking as it hit the ground with each step. The sword came up, and walloped into the crowd, being blocked by one soldier. The undead and the soldier both shoved, but Zelda's soldier was clearly the weaker. The knight shoved him aside with ease, making the man slam into a wall. The soldiers shrank back from the dead knight and Zelda cursed, breaking through the crowd.

"Knight, come attack me!" She challenged. The knight looked upon her questioningly, but did turn from the rest of the group. Zelda stood there, short hair swaying in the wind, with light leather gear, fierce eyes, and a bloodstained lance. She looked like a warrior.

The knight came clunking closer, and she dashed it on the side of the head with her lance. The knights sword, while longer than most any other blade, was still shorter than the lance, giving Zelda the advantage of range. She slowly trudged around the room, keeping out of the undead's range, and slamming a few stabs and bashes into the armor. While she could dent the armor, nothing went through the powerful metal. She circled around the tower's head, making it so the knight's back was to the crowd. Zelda smiled, and looked behind the knight, signing for someone to run up.

An older man took the cue and ran up, ripping the knight helmet from it's head. Now the head and scent were fully exposed. The knight had been handsome in his previous life, but no one is attractive after their skin begins to rot. Short brown hair had begun to look green with the fungus growing amongst it. Hollow white eyes glared at her, their irises having been lost long ago.

The man who had pulled the helmet from it's head, raised his ax and slammed it home into the knight's skull, making the creature drop.

With the second tower captured, Zelda allowed herself a small smile.

"_We have over two thirds of our job done. Let's just hope everyone else is going as smoothly._" She thought.

She turned and looked out the window, seeing the soldiers battle in the streets. War had truly come to the city she had been born and raised in. She had thought this day may never come. Zelda turned hurriedly, and chose the soldiers that would remain, and began her march to the next tower. As they approached it, her gaze couldn't help but look longingly up at the spire that she prayed Link still climbed.

)))))(((((

The effortlessly evil energy swirled around Raysu, casting a wraithly glow spiraling about the room. The demon displayed a half smirk before speaking, revealing his razor canines.

"With this attack, I shall destroy all of you. Do not lament your fate though. At least you can experience death."

The intensity of his energy increased, making the room shake with it's power.

"Stop Raysu!" Dark roared. "Is your heart truly so cold that you'd see the world destroyed!?"

"The world's had it's chance!" The demon replied. "I deserve mine! With this attack I will turn the energy of the night sky into my weapon. Were any other creature to do this, the energy would tear them apart! A sweet fate! Do I receive that? No! This world deserves destruction. A return to unclassified mass!"

The energy continued to rise, and Dark knew if he didn't do something quickly, the demon would destroy them.

"_But what can I do?_" he thought. "_He has stolen all the power of the night!_"

He continued to fumble for ideas as the air in the room grew more and more tense. Sparks burst into the air with increasing frequency due to all the energy confined in the room. It became harder to breath as the air grew powered and acrid. Stones began to crack under the pressure of the energy.

Dark cursed and ran at the demon, thrusting his sword threw his stomach multiple times. While the blade audibly seared the demon's flesh, Raysu made no note of it, fully concentrating on his attack. Dark tore out the blade and sheathed it in Raysu's stomach one final time before admitting to himself it was hopeless. His gaze swept across the room and settled once again on the window through which the darkness had come. The sun had risen over the hills of the world now and hovered, unblocked from sight, in the early morning sky. He noticed soldiers climbing watchtowers still, and apologized to them in his heart. The day was lost, and there was nothing he could do to stop the enemy. His allies stood on the far end of the room, painfully aware of what was happening, hoping that Dark could pull something quickly. Link was looking at him with a mixture of worry and something that looked like...pride.

It was that look that told him what he had to do.

He leaped back ten feet, and then commanded his aura, forcing it to the window. Next he created a spiral tunnel just inside, creating a suctioning zone. Within in a few seconds he felt the effect he had expected. Energy began to flow into him, more energy than he'd ever felt in his life. Raysu, noticing what Dark was doing and planning, began to shout.

"What are you doing!? Stop!"

"You know well what I'm doing, Raysu." Dark said calmly. "I'm using your attack. I'm taking energy from the day's light and converting it into my own energy. And then, I will use it to put you to rest. It may only last a year, but we only need the rest of the day to vanquish Ganondorf."

"You can not do that! Your body will be shredded apart by all the power, stop!"

"Yes, I'd say you're right. My body will break and die. But I will save my friends. And most importantly, I will save my son. Once this is done, perhaps I will finally be able to forgive myself. And then I will depart this life. And I'll see her once again."

"Dad, no! What are you doing!" Came Link's worried scream.

"I've been gathering energy longer, you fool! I'll still be the one to ruin you!" Raysu cried madly.

"No. Light vanquishes shadows. It also pools faster. Light is the fastest true thing. It took me eighteen years mired in shadow to learn that. Even with your head start, I'm only right behind you." Dark said, and then looked at Link. He could feel the power of light becoming too much, and could feel it reaching maximum energy. He used some of the energy to send a message to his son, one that would ring clear and unmistakable amidst the battle.

"Son, carry on without me. See this through, and defeat Ganondorf. Achieve your destiny. I've never been more proud of you. And always remember...I love you, Link."

"Dad! NO!"

Raysu fired a beam of shadows, an inky malevolent thing of coursing blacks and reds. An instant later, an opposing beam of whites and blues erupted from Dark's chest. Seconds passed as this, with the two energies battling fiercely. Then the man who had dared to command the light began to fade. It was gradual at first. His skin became more and more white, gleaming with the light. His armor shined and twinkled. His core became nothing but light, and this core aggressively expanded, conquering Dark's body. Link, the hero of Hyrule, took one final and loving look at his namesake, his son, before he disappeared, and his whole world went white.

"_Son...are you proud of me? Have I done well? How about you...Cara? Are you proud of the man your husband has become?_"

The beam of light pushed back Raysu's black energy, forcing it back into him, and pummeling him through the thick tower walls. The wall exploded into a haze of dust and stone shrapnel, forcing the demon out into the light of the world.

Link was already running towards the spot where his father had stood, and stared dumbly at the place he'd faded away. For one blissful moment his head couldn't wrap around all that had happened. But then it came. It came crashing down upon him with all the weight of the world. He fell to his knees, and then on all fours. He was all alone again. After seventeen years he had been given back his father. And soon after he was fully given him back from the shadows, he'd been taken again.

"Damn it, Dad!" He shouted into the air, tears in his eyes. His shoulders rose and fell rapidly, next breaking out into fierce shudders. Sadness assailed his very essence, crippling him. He could do nothing but kneel here and cry, not unlike how it had been in a time that now felt very far behind him. First his mother, then uncle, Ekron, now his father. All of them had been torn from him. He couldn't have a family, it seemed. He began to pound the ground when he felt one arm wrap around his shoulders, and another lightly touch his back.

He looked and saw Jareth had wrapped his arm around him, and Alnahim had kneeled next to him, and been the one to place his hand. The wizard was looking at the shattered tower wall.

"He saved everyone of us, you know. Probably a ton of Zelda's soldiers down below. It looks like, once again, he's taken back his title as the hero of Hyrule."

"Why? Why'd he have to leave me?" Link asked.

Jareth looked away painfully, and Alnahim stood up, looking far off into the distance, as though contemplating something with incredibly deep meaning. He gazed down at the palm of his hand, and tightened his fist.

"Link..." Jareth began. "He did it to save us. It was the only way to save everyone. If he hadn't done that, we'd be dead, and Ganondorf would still live on past today. Then that demon would have gotten exactly what it wanted."

Except, though Link was upset about his father leaving, he was most upset about his final words. In his final breath, before giving away his life, he'd told his son he'd loved him. And Link would never get to say it back. All his life, he'd wanted a father. And after strife, he'd gotten one. And soon after, that father had renounced his darkness, becoming practically one with the light. And still, he'd never told him he loved him. The pain was nearly unbearable, but his father's other final words still wrung in his head. He clenched all of his muscled for a second, and slowly stood up. Jareth stood with him.

"Link, are you okay?" He asked.

"No...No, I really can't say I am. But I have to keep on. I must make my father proud." Link replied. His eyes hunted around for a bit, and then they came across what they sought. He walked over to the beautiful runed sword and scabbard and picked it up. The runes, odd as it seemed, appeared to be crying. The light was duller than typical and sagged. He slung it over his left shoulder blade, just over the blade Finnic had made him in the goron city. He looked out the ruined window.

"I love you, Dad." He said before dutifully walking to the stairs.

Alnahim and Jareth stared after him, and Jareth noted how much growth he'd seen in the lad since they'd met. He walked to the place Dark had sacrificed himself and dropped to one knee.

"Thank you, My friend. Today you saved the world. Today you made your son proud. Even through all the pain and grief he's feeling, he's proud. In the end, I guess you did get through to him. I think the world will be a little worse off with you gone. But no worries...I'll attend the wedding...for both of us."

With that said he stood and followed the one who would fight the king of shadows, just as war sirens began to fill the air.


	60. Chapter 59

The party rose the stairs, Link still in a sort of dull state. Dark's absence from the group was painfully poignant as they ascended in silence. Their group was down to three. Alnahim had come to lead the group along the way, and he climbed the staircases, his shoulders oddly broad with determination. The next battle would be his, and worry had already wormed it's way into Link's heart. One of their number had already fallen...what would stop Alnahim from doing the same? Jareth had nearly died, Dark had had to sacrifice himself to win his battle. Every stair they bested took them closer to what could be Alnahim's death.

"What happened to us?" Link asked, seemingly out of nowhere.

"W-What do you mean?" Jareth stammered, surprised at the question.

"We were supposed to be the greatest warriors this land has known. Father felled armies on his own. You searched deep within yourself and excised your greatest weaknesses. Yet you nearly died, and he did. What happened?"

"Link..." Jareth began, "These demons were handpicked by Ganondorf. And he himself gave them power beyond their wildest dreams. That's why they are so powerful. I've always been the weakest of us. It's why I volunteered to battle the necromancer. I figured the weakest of them would be first. Raysu though...I have a feeling he was the most powerful. It was in his actions, his power. That demon held all the power of the night in his grasp. Had any other of us faced against him, none of us would be here right now. The key to his defeat was the light that only Dark possessed. And part of that light has been passed on to you, in that blade. The next opponent will most likely not be as strong as Raysu. So rest easy. Alnahim will be fine. He's always been secretive, and I think he may reveal a few of his tricks today."

Link was contemplatively silent for a moment, before giving his thanks to the ranger. Soon after they came to a large silver door.

"Let us see who my opponent is." Alnahim muttered, pushing the door open with a slight squeal.

The room was much like the others in that it was large, spacious, and open. However, this room was not the barren room of Vincent, nor the shadow filled one of Raysu. Weaponry armed the walls. Racks of swords were arranged on the far end of the room, and maces, claymores, and axes hung from the walls. Several suits of armor were set upon tables. One silver, one crimson, the final one gold. In all, the room looked more like an armory than a battling ground. Yet battling ground it was.

Nevertheless, Alnahim strolled casually into the room, as if he didn't truly grasp the gravity of what would occur. Link prayed silently that he would be careful. He'd hated the wizard when first they met. Had every right to hate him in fact. Yet, through discourse comes growth. Little had Link known the wizard had been testing him when he first came to him on that night by the river. The mysterious figure he'd seen that night seemed so different from the demon who stood before him. Initially, he'd appeared oddly eccentric and made jokes and such. Link attributed that to his disguise. Now he was serious, brooding, and seemed constantly calm.

He'd done all he could to make Ekron's final hours the best they could be, and he saved Link multiple times. Now he could be walking into a room housed the being that would kill him.

"Come forth, servant!" Alnahim called out to the empty room. "I know you make den within these halls. I can smell you."

A heavily muscled man appeared from down the stairs. Unruly dark hair spilled from his crown and thick black eyebrows were set over his pale green eyes. These eyes were set into a thin dagger like face emphasized by strong cheek bones.

"Greetings!" The stranger called to them in a deep booming voice. "Lord Ganondorf wishes you well!"

"If the bastard wished us so well he ought to bring the wishes himself." Link growled lowly.

"Perhaps he was wishing to allow you a mourning period." the stranger said, a smirk spreading across his lips. "I'm sure he understands how a death in the family can affect his guests."

Link's hand curled around the base of his father's holy blade and he took a step forward. He was stopped however by a cool hand on his shoulder. He turned and saw Alnahim's pale face. The amethyst eyes were twinkling with some unidentifiable emotion.

"Steady your hand, Link. The world rages around us. This battle is mine. Remember, you have to be in perfect condition for Ganondorf."

Link debated inwardly and nodded his head. The wizard was right. Ganondorf was the primary enemy and he couldn't fight him at anything less than one hundred percent. He stepped back and allowed Alnahim to take his place. He undid his cloak and tossed it aside, revealing his black garb. Hanging at his waste was the sword he had forged from darkness, it's gleaming obsidian-like blade hidden by it's sheathe.

"Tell me, what is your name?" Alnahim asked. "I like to know the names of those I kill."

The man looked curiously at Alnahim and his lips curled into a catlike smile.

"You...You're Alnahim, aren't you? The failure that Ganondorf exiled into the dark world, correct? Ha ha! Well, if you'd really care to know, my name is Adadomos! I shall find incredible pleasure in destroying you!"

He raised his arms and the crimson suit of armor began to shake on the the table and then climbed shakily into the air. The armor separated and soared to Adodomos, coating his body. As the armor reformed a massive sword flew off a table and into his waiting hand.

Alnahim shrugged his shoulders and a dusty dark purple aura snaked out from body, making his long black hair float as if in water. He drew the sword and it's blade gleamed happily. He raised the blade skyward and floated into the air. Adodomos began stalking toward the wizard, holding the five foot long broadsword effortlessly. Every footfall was a stake of worry driven into Link's heart as Alnahim refused to move. He just floated in the air as the demonic knight approached. Adodomos got within range and swung his sword with all his might, making Link cry out. The knight stumbled as his sword passed through empty space.

"_Where is Alnahim?_" Link thought.

A sudden portal appeared behind Adodomos and Alnahim leaped from it, perching on the knight's back. He kicked the helm free of it's head and slammed his sword, hilt deep, into Adodomos's skull. The knight fell forward sluggishly Alnahim hopped from his back.

Link rushed forward to congratulate his ally, but was stopped by a raise of Alnahim's hand. The wizard turned back towards the knight and hastily retrieved his sword.

"Alnahim, what is it?"

"He isn't dead. I can sense the energy still coursing trough his body. He will rise again." Alnahim said with his back facing Link.

)))))(((((

"Argos! Cover us!" Zelda shouted toward her second in command as her band charged the final watchtower. Arrows zipped through the air, and Zelda gracefully flipped and dodged them all. The world around her seemed to have slowed down exponentially. It was like she was on a level all her own. Everyone moved slowly and clumsily while she leaped through the air with the grace of a dancer. Soldier after soldier fell to her knives as if they were trying to die. A cold battle sense had fallen over her mind. On this day, she was a perfect warrior.

She breasted the last of the stairs and burst through the door of the watchtower. It fell from it's hinges with a horrific banshee's shriek and toppled to the floor. She contorted her body to dodge a spear's thrust and grabbed the wooden grips and pulled hard. The soldier wielding the long weapon was pulled along towards her, tripping with the force of Zelda's pull. She let go of the lance with one hand and grabbed a dagger, slashing it across the man's throat. He grasped at his throat and fell to the ground, dead. All this in less than five seconds. Two more soldiers came towards her on both her left and right side. One armed with an ax, the other with two cutlasses.

"Come and get it." she said, flipping her hair back with her hand.

The enemies took the bait, running at her preparing to destroy her with their weapons. The swordsman raised one blade and brought it down while the axeman tried hitting the princess with a horizontal strike. Zelda rolled forward almost casually, dodging both attacks and heard the sound of their weapons sinking into their own ally's flesh. The two fell to the ground with heavy thuds, and the rest of Zelda's troop came into the watchtower as she began bounding up the stairs. Along the way a crossbowman peered out from behind a wall and fired one of his bolts at her.

She leaped into the air, bringing her knees in close to her chest, and bolt passed through empty space before slamming into the stone wall, just hairs away from the man directly behind her. He recoiled violently, tumbling down the stairs, making the rest of the troop fall with him. They rolled down the stairs and hit the ground. The remaining soldiers climbed over their dazed companions and bolted up the stairs after their commander.

Argos was the first man up the stairs and he quickly dispatched a Gerudo woman who had attempted to lob off his head with a particularly nasty scimitar. He was a machine, his arm going to his back, plucking an arrow, nocking it, drawing the string, letting it fire, and then repeating the process. Soldier after soldier fell to his bow. Zelda flipped around his arrows with her dagger flashing through the air, taking out all the enemies that Argos did not. It took only seconds to clear out this floor.

"You, uh, gonna leave any for us?" A man asked.

"You'll have to vie for 'em! We've got our warrior princess with us!" Answered another voice.

Zelda may have taken pleasure in their comments another time, but for now she was focused on the mission. She climbed each stair relentlessly, desiring only to achieve her necessary goal. Link and his team were doing their jobs. She had to do hers.

A knife lightly pierced her calf and she looked down in shock. A soldier had been playing dead on the stairs and had attempted to stab her. She kicked the knife from his hands and folded her leg so her knee became a dagger's point. She then let her knee fall upon the man's head. His body began seizing and flailing about, and she continued on to the next floor, paying her bleeding leg no heed.

She reached the final floor with relative ease and found another singular man staring out the window.

"Good day, Princess." He said in a voice that was decidedly alive.

"Who are you?" She asked angrily, brandishing her dagger.

"My My...so impatient." he said, his hand lightly tapping the stonework.

"I don't care if I am impatient." Zelda muttered.

The man turned, revealing long jet black hair and a scarred face. It looked like a monster had clawed three scratches into it, and he wore an eye patch. The other eye was the color of rustic amber.

"My name...is Altunas, Lord of blades." He said, gesturing to the long scabbards that donned either hips.

"You seem rather full of yourself." She said with a scowl.

"Perhaps I am. But there's a lot to be full of, if you take my meaning."

"I can take that meaning and I'll tell you what I'll do with it." She said, stepping towards him. He raised his hands like a man who has just told a mildly offensive joke.

"Now Now, no need to be so hasty." He said. "why not relax and enjoy yourself?"

"This is a battlefield, not a spa." She spat, taking another step.

"Very well." Altunas sighed. He drew his blades and ran at the princess. She made a thrust for his neck, and he flipped over her head, throwing several slashed of his sword, all of which she blocked with her dagger. She ducked down and tried to kick out his ankles, but he simply jumped over her leg. He landed and tried cutting her, but she back flipped away, him following closely. The blades whipped towards her in a pendulum of glinting light, and she blocked each strike. The speed kept increasing, and soon enough both of their hands were simple blurs. Loud clangs rang out through the air as their metals plummeted towards each other. She lunged forward, headbutting Altunas, making him stumble backward. She took the chance to deliver a series of quick kicks into his stomach, sending him hurdling through the air. He cursed and drove his swords into the ground, which erupted into a horrific scratching sound. He noticeably winced at the abrasive noise, but Zelda only ran at him.

Altunas used the blades springiness to sling shot himself from his place and towards the princess. He sailed through the air, his blade spinning in a whirlwind of metal. She fell to the ground, sliding along her back, and felt the tip of one blade cut the very end of the soft cartilage of her nose. She rose and turned, throwing one dagger at the swordsman, who spun around, hitting the knife with his sword. The knife split in half and sailed through the air on either side of his face.

Three arrows came towards him, and he leaped away to avoid them. Zelda turned to the stairs and saw her soldiers had finally arrived.

"Altunas! This is it! All my warriors are here!"

"What a coincidence" he said, his eyes gleaming with triumph. "So are mine."

Soldiers that must have been hiding on the roof began flipping in through windows until the room was filled with them. The two forces collided with equal force, and things seemed to be going well...until more began rushing up the stairs. More and more Gerudo appeared, making the odds worse with every passing second.

"_It was a trap!_" Zelda thought woefully. "_I should have suspected this!_"

Altunas charged her in the midst of the chaos, and their battle resumed. Their weapons clashed, creating sparks from their force. Neither of them spoke, being wholly focused on their fight. She accidentally swung too wide, and he rapped her ribs with the hilt of his blade on a return swing, making her fall back three steps. He followed aggressively in an attempt to keep her off balance. She kept stumbling backwards, only barely dodging his attacks. One came so close she saw the strands of her hair flung into the air. She saw her allies fall out of the corner of her eyes to a Gerudo blade and groaned. Things weren't looking good.

She finally regained her balance, and went on the offensive, surprising Altunas. He jumped back five feet, and raised his blades in an L shape. She did the same with her daggers to taunt him, and they continued attacking. Neither side could make any advance. It was like they were sparring a solid wall. Yet still they tried with all their efforts. Zelda's hair flipped around violently and with each movement sweat flicked off of his body. They carried on in a dance of steel.

She gave up her inhibitions and dove at Altunas, tackling him to the ground. He grunted in surprise and then pain as he hit the hard ground.

"It doesn't matter princess. Lord Ganondorf has already won." Altunas laughed as she brought the knife down upon him, finally ending Altunas. She stood up, sweating profusely, and looked at the carnage surrounding her. Most of her warriors were dead, and the ones who were left were stuck combating at least three enemies each. Argos pulled a dagger and pivoted his body, taking out the four around him in a flourish. He ran to someone else, helping to try and cut the enemy down.

Zelda followed suit, running to the aid of another of her soldiers. She blocked one sword strike, and let her dagger fall down the blade to the hilt and twisted it around, disarming the opponent. He looked at his empty hand with amazement, and then at Zelda with terror as she eliminated him. Two soldiers ran at her and she jumped up, kicking the both of them. They fell back to the ground slack jawed and knocked out cold. She hit the ground and crouched, sweeping around with her leg out, kicking out the legs of three soldiers that ran at her. She was on them like a starving wolf, and slit their throats quickly.

The enemy soldiers looked upon her ferocity and many of them fled, some even hurling themselves out of the window. She stood up, and realized they had taken the final watchtower. She stumbled over to the window, and looked up at the palace hopefully. Praying that Link really was up there, doing all he could.

Her head suddenly felt light, and her legs buckled beneath her. She hit the ground and promptly passed out.

)))))(((((

The air shifted as Alnahim began to gather his energies. A rainbow spectrum of fire, light, darkness, earth, wind, and water began swirling around him. The spiral grew in both speed and size, and by the time Adodomos began to stir, it was a tornado of swirling energies. The knight pushed himself up, balancing on a knee before rising to his full height.

"Perhaps I didn't give your strength it's full due, wizard. But I'll not take a mi-"

The energy slammed into the knight's core, cracking the armor, and sending him sailing across the room. He hit a wall with considerable force, and a blink's time later the energy was preying upon him like a massive spider. It took the form of some insane beast with an incredibly long and foreboding stinger. The stinger plummeted into the knight's skull, and the singer bulged with intermittent pulses. Adodomo's grasped the energy being's legs and tried ripping the beast apart, but to no avail. He began to scream as the beast continued to feast upon whatever it drew from his head.

"What...are you...DOING TO ME!" he screeched at Alnahim.

"I'm stealing your energy. Your strength. I could tell you had some form of enchantment over you. What was it? Did Ganondorf gift you with near infinite regeneration? That is what I sensed of you. This creature, formed of my own energy, shall feast upon your energy until it runs dry."

"DAMN YOU!" Adodomos cried, his voice cracking. The creature brought it's legs together, snapping his arms at the elbow, eliciting another scream of pain from the formerly bold knight.

"But you haven't heard the great artistry of this technique. All the energy that is sapped of your body is directed to me. When all is done, I shall hold every last drop of power your body has ever possessed."

"I-I'll kill you! I'll rip you apart you failure!" he screamed madly.

"If only you knew how many times I've heard that." Alnahim said, turning away from him. He walked calmly to his cloak and pulled it on.

"Told you Alnahim was never in any trouble." Jareth leaned over and whispered In Link's ear.

"Yeah. I guess you were right..." Link breathed shakily. The pit of worry had left his stomach. His friends were safe and only one final battle remained. And it was his alone. Ganondorf awaited him, and when Link came to the top of the stairs, their final showdown would begin. He tightened his grip on the sword and smiled. He cast a gaze out over the war torn city.

"_Father...you shall be avenged._"


	61. Finale: Part One

Link, Alnahim, and Jareth walked up the stairs slowly, yet not in despair. In anticipation, as though they were savoring these precious moments. Their quest was at it's end. Only the final goal was before them. The one who had managed to take the capital city, the one who had taken away Link's uncle, and the one who threatened everyone's existance waited for them at the top of these stairs. The time for Link's war had arrived. His pace quickened subconsciously, and Alnahim and Jareth followed suit. Before long, they stood at the great door.

It was made of solid metal, but the great triangle on the door gave away it's key. Link raised one hand and placed it on the door, the emblem of the triforce lit with a soft golden glow, and the door disappeared. Link walked into the castle, his father's blade in hand, and was surprised at how dark the room was. From the outside, the spire's top floor had looked as though it were ringed with windows. How then was it that the room would be black as midnight at the day's brightest hour?

"Ganondorf." Link stated coldly. "Show yourself, so that I may end you."

"You speak boldly boy." A deep and powerful voice replied. "Especially since the last time I saw you, you were running away with your tail between your legs."

The room lit dimly with an icy blue light that served to partially illuminate Ganondorf sitting leisurely and crosslegged on the king's throne. Long and dully red hair fell down his head and over his olive colored skin. Two eyes like cut obsidion looked at him, twinkling with some cruel mutation of humor. A malevolent grin was set across his face, revealing his elongated sharp canines. He stood up and spread his arms, like expecting an embrace. He wore a tight fitting black leather top below a loosely belted black duster His hands were clothed in dark brown gloves that no doubt climbed up to his elbows. Black pants coated his legs and were tucked into a pair of dark brown boots. Two swords hung at his waist, another was slung across his lower back, and still two more were crisscrossed across his upper back. Two knives were strapped to either calf, belted there with a brown loop of leather and a sheathe for the small blades.

"Now you have entered my home once again. Once at Death Mountain and now here in my city." Ganondorf began.

"This isn't your city, Ganondorf!" Link growled, pointing the tip of the holy blade at the man. Ganondorf carried on as if he hadn't heard him.

"Yet now you think you are different. A trip to a broken world and a piece of triforce later and you think you're good enough to combat me?" He said, gesturing to himself, "I pity you. I am greater than you could ever hope to be, boy. Look out, over all I am winning!"

The room's odd tint dissipated, and he could help but allow his gaze to look out the window over the city. The two factions warred in the streets, looking like small insects at such a height.

"This city will remain in my possession, and your princess Zelda shall fall to my warriors. You will die and I shall possess FOUR pieces of triforce. With such power I shall conquer even the gods!" Ganondorf boomed, raising his open arms to the ceiling.

"You're insane!" Jareth said.

"Maybe some would say I am. I'd say I'm...an opportunist. Speaking of which, how fare thee, Alnahim? So good to see you've sided with the enemy." He said snidely.

"I suppose it is." Alnahim said coldly. "But only because now I can't be the one who drives a blade through your throat."

"It needn't be so." the evil one said, reaching a hand out towards the wizard. "Return to me. Join me once again. I can tell your power has grown so much. You could perhaps even take out the boy. Join me, son."

Link recoiled with pure shock. "_SON?_!_" _He thought. "_What!?_"

"Oh, you never informed them of your relation to the overlord of shadows? Why your magic is so very powerful? Where you got your fine looks?" Ganondorf said with a smile.

"Shame you had to bring it up." Alnahim said casually. "It would have been nice to have no one know the truth. Now we have two more in on the secret."

"Alnahim..." Link started. "what does he mean. He can't be your father! He doesn't look any older than thirty!"

"I'm not formed of this version of Ganondorf. Long ago, after he gained the triforce of power he fathered a son with a woman in Hyrule. The child, who should have been pure, was bred half demon by the impurities of his father. That child was me. He used me as his right hand in his most previous attempts, but then cast me into the dark world. And that was good. It gave me the ability to think and stand on my own. And the strength I needed to defeat him." Alnahim said.

"You don't have any hope of defeating me." Ganondorf stated with a flourish of his hand.

"We shall see." Alnahim said with a smirk. "But your current quarrel is, detestably, with the hero of light."

"Alnahim..." Link said contemplatively, "One more question...Why would you be willing to kill your father? I know he cast you away from him and abandoned you...but it's possible to forgive him right?"

Ganondorf burst into a deep laughter that seemed to shake the solid spire.

"No." Alnahim said. "Forgiving him is impossible.

"Why?"

"He killed my mother." The wizard said lowly. Ganondorf's laugh only grew.

Suddenly everything made sense. Alnahim wanted to see Ganondorf...no that wasn't right...Ganon defeated just as much as everyone else. Not because of being abandoned, but because he too had lost someone precious to him. His murky motives now shown clear. He looked at the wizard glaring at his estranged father, and recognized that face. It was the same face that he had worn when Link himself had worn when he saw his father in the forgotten city.

"Alnahim...Do you want this fight?" He asked, though it pained him to do so.

For the first time since Link had met him, the wizard looked surprised. Then a smirk came back over his face. But this smirk was different from the ones he'd given before. This was warm.

"No. It isn't the destiny of a wizard to take down the wielder of the triforce of power. And I have a feeling that by the time the day has seen it's end I'll have seen my share of fighting. This isn't my battle. It's yours." He said.

Link nodded. "Very well."

The green clad hero stepped toward the laughing lord and again pointed at him with the sword.

"This is it Ganondorf! Our battle commences now!"

His laughter died away and the olive skinned man looked down into Link's eyes.

"So beings our battle."

He pulled out the two swords from his waist. A millisecond later one erupted into flames and the other one began to crackle with electricity. Link took a second, recognizing these as the same form of enchanted blades that Archlord Essent had used against him in a battle long past.

Without warning he was flying through the air, his body surrounded with unimaginable heat. Ganondorf had charged him and delivered a powerful blow that had only left Link alive due to the positioning of his sword. Link's mind went pure red and he imagined the world falling away around him. Two seconds later a relieving blue seeped out from the swords hilt and encompassed his body, vanquishing the flames and the despair. He hit the ground lightly and Ganondorf was upon him once again. Link cursed and drew his other sword, knowing he hadn't the time to pull out and tie on his shield. Most men could not effectively wield two swords of this make, but Link had the boon of being ambidextrous.

Link and Ganondorf swung their arms in manic flourishes of steel blocking everything they could. Minutes passed like this with either party being decorated with dozens of small scale cuts and scratches. Despite this, the two were too evenly matched to deliver any quick finishing blow. Instead they battled, the scent of heavy electricty and sweat filling the room. It became clear to Link that Ganondorf's blade faltered the most under the blows of the lucis blade, and made special efforts to use his left hand more often, as it wielded it.

"Cursed boy!" Ganondorf roared, jumping high into the air and pushing his palm out, shooting five balls of energy. One fire, one ice, one electricity, one wind, and the final darkness. The ball of flames came to him and he leaped to the side, and saw the other balls were seeking his trail. He clumsily leaped over the ball of ice and fell to the ground, letting the electric energy sail over him. He rose to his feet just in time for the green swirling ball of wind energy to crash into him, lifting him up in the air, his clothes whipping around his limbs quickly. The black ball of shadows was coming towards him at high speed and Link stabbed his blade into the air in front of him instinctively. A thick beam of white energy shot from the blades tip and through the black ball, slamming right into Ganondorf, who stumbled several feet back through the air. Link hit the ground, staring at the magical blade with wonder.

"_How many wonders do you possess?_" He thought. Unfortunately, he didn't have much time to truly think of this as Ganondorf sent more and more balls of energy of every color at him. Well, every color excluding white. The color of light energy. It appeared that was his disability.

Link sheathed the blade in his right hand and drew his shield, feeling pleased with his familiar combat set up. He used the Lucis blade's razor edge to cut through the balls of energy and the balls just fell away from each other like powder in the wind. He smiled tauntingly at Ganondorf who growled in anger. The dark one rose both hands over his head, amassing a huge mass of shadow energy. Black lightning crackled all over the surface of the massive sphere and Link could physically feel the energy pressing lightly on the skin of his exposed face. Ganondorf brought the sphere down and it came towards the young hero, who rose the hallowed blade again. Three beams of energy shot into the great black projectile, but just faded into it's all consuming shadow.

Link wildly jumped to the right, narrowly avoiding the object. It struck the ground and spread outward like a balloon filled with water does just before it pops. But it did not pop. It continued to spread out until it's darkness was no longer visible. This entire process took only a second to complete. Link rose and tried to get to Ganondorf, but was instantly on the run from more balls of energy. He was on such an excursion when he fell through the floor.

He was running out of the direction of a great blast of some unknown pink energy and hit the ground. The hero tried to get up quickly, but the ground groaned and sagged dramatically before falling away completely. Link cried out with shock and stuck his shield hand out, gripping solid floor with only a couple of fingers. He thought frantically of what had happened. All the floors up to this point had been solid and unbreakable. What had taken away the support in such a place? As he flung himself up back to the battle floor he realized what it had been. He had dove onto the space that Ganondorf had hit with his powerful black ball of energy. Of course, the action that prompted this realization was that Ganondorf was charging another one, his face covered in a smug smile.

Link panic jumped towards him, catching the dark one off guard, bashing him in the nose with his shield before hitting the demon's chest and falling to the ground.

"Unknowing little brat!" Ganondorf snarled, throwing the ball of darkness at him. This time it hit Link and the pain was like nothing he'd ever experienced. Even when he had been transported to the dark world he had never felt pain like this. It was like an army of miniscule demons had slipped into his pores and slipped between every tiny skin cell and were stretching them out and rapidly pulling them back in. He belted out a howl of purest misery and fell to his knees. The pain sank deeper, coupling itself with a feeling similar to having someone tear your eyes apart with a pair of pliers.

"Do you like that, child!?" Ganondorf roared over him. "It's one of my favorite attacks! It uses shadow energy to vibrate all the small places in you! Isn't it a sweet agony, would be hero?"

Link didn't answer with anything other than a continuation of his agony cry. His mind had shut off from the pain, and he acted solely on gut feelings and instincts. He forced his arm upwards(which was no small feat) and brought his father's sword's crosshilt to his forehead. The pain was instantly halved. Then it was halved again. And again. And again, until it fell away completely. He gave his father a quick thanks and shot five beams of light towards Ganondorf. The demon dodged the first three, but the final two hit him dead on. Ganondorf staggered and fell back to the floor on one knee. Link ran up and tried to strike his sword right through the dark one's skull and end this whole battle, but his enemy rose, blocking the attack with two of his enchanted blades crossed. Link and Ganondorf pressed against each other's weapons with all their might, the differing enchantments of Ganondorf's sabers hardening into a solid edge. The lucid blade's light flared into life, shattering the evil one's blades. The light expanded, engulfing Ganondorf, who's mouth flared open in a show of anger. The light pushed the dark influence back several feet, but never completely ended him. The radiant blast lasted for perhaps a fourth minute before retreating back into the blade.

Ganondorf stood with his arms crossed at the forearm in front of him. Ragged breathing heaved his shoulders up and down with it's force. He slowly uncrossed his arms and snarled at Link and drew two more of his swords. One began giving off a chilly blue aura, and the other had five small rocks orbiting along it's edge.

"You fared well, boy. But do not let it get to you. I am simply warming up." The demon said confidently.

"Is that so?" Link asked snidely, raising his shield and sword. "You look pretty haggard for one just warming up."

the battle sparked back into life, the enchanted blades clanging uselessly against Link's shield. Ganondorf's attack style had taken on the guise of a maniacal serial killer, with his arms and blades swinging around, reeking of dark intent. This offensive would have cut down any normal man, even a well trained one. But Link had trained with the greatest swordsman of all time and had his strength bolstered with that of the Gods. He refused to fall.

The enemy's attacks continued to rain down on him like a storm of steel, and still Link blocked them. Spotting an opportunity, he ducked down and kicked the thick limb of Ganondorf's calf. The demon staggered but did not fall. This was still enough for Link to rise and bash the enemy with his shield. Ganondorf remained in place, though a blood-red streak now stood out against his olive skin. He hurled himself backwards through the airs and closed his eyes.

He brought a thumb to his face, wiped away the blood, and then licked the blood from his thumb. He tossed aside the two swords he'd been wielding and Link observed that the enchantments within them petered out the instant they were no longer directly connected to Ganondorf's magic. The king of evil placed his hand around the handle of the massive sword that rose above his head. He pulled the blade out of it's sheathe with the smallest grating of metal on firm leather. The blade was large, though not quite as large as Adodomos's had been. It was roughly five feet long and had glowing black runes all along it. The smell of shadows emanated from it, pervading the room in waspy wisps.

"You may have your blade of light, brat, but I've mine of shadow." Ganondorf said, smirking. Link couldn't help but notice the resemblance to his son. How could he have not seen it before? He and Alnahim had roughly the same facial structure. Were it not for the color of their skin, eyes, and hair it would have been easy. Somehow Alnahim must have beaten all odds and had taken after his mother in most of his traits.

"This noble sword shall be your end!" Link bellowed as evil one rushed him, his legs swinging in a pendulum blur. The long blade clashed with the lucis blade with a loud cracking sound, and sparks of white and black skittered off into the air. Ganondorf reared back and hack down madly three times with attacks that Link hardly blocked each time. Once again, Link was back on the defensive, stumbling backwards, his balance just at the back edge of his heels. He rose his shield and sword to deflect the attacks, but could work in none of his own. The thought of a possible solution came to him and he blocked an attack and threw his arms down, puffed his chest out, and roared to the ceiling.

"_If this doesn't work, I'm doomed._"

Ganondorf was halfway into a downward swing that would have taken split Link's skull when the blast of light erupted from Link's bosom. He light flared out with the intensity of the hero's roar, which continued to grow, soon sounding like a hundred foot tall lion. Soldiers warring in the streets of the city stopped their battle for a moment and looked up at the massive castle spire, wondering briefly what could have caused such a noise.

Soon, the light and volume reached a maximum output, and retracted into Link's chest. Ganondorf stood with his blade of shadows raised diagonally across his form, once again breathing heavily.

"Damn kid...You...are...nothing!" He shouted, ripping his now torn duster and leather shirt from his body, exposing his powerful looking torso. Abdominal muscles twinkled with sweat under thick pectorals. His biceps were as thick as Link's head and he looked fit to tear down a mountain with his bare hands. He stabbed his sword into the ground and pulled off his gloves and pulled it out forcefully, pointing it's unshaking tip at Link.

"My heart thirsts for your blood to be spilled!" The outlaw spat.

"And my soul has desired the same of yours for far too long!" Link retorted, raising his own sword. "This is for all you stole from me, demon!"

A laser of shining white light sped through the air, hitting the beam that soon erupted from Ganondorf's blade. The beams battled back and forth, ebbing like violent tide. Alnahim and Jareth looked at this battle, seeing it as possibly the end of the battle. Whoever won this contest could win the whole of the battle. A bead of sweat trickled down the ranger's head as a thick orb of contrasting black and white energies formed at the point of impact. It grew and grew, fed by the unending energies of the two mighty warriors, until it was at least 7 feet in diameter.

"It's volatile..." Alnahim muttered.

"What?" Jareth asked, not hearing him clearly.

"It's volatile." Alnahim repeated clearly. "That orb of energy continues to grow and grow. But darkness and light are on the opposite end of the energy spectrum from each other. They cannot form a peaceful union. In fact, they are the most violently opposed elements. Soon that orb will burst, and whoever is closest to it likely won't be waking up again. We'll be lucky if any of us survive."

"Then what are we doing!?" Jareth questioned urgently. "If that is to burst then we have to get us out of here."

"Link wouldn't leave, even if we could convince him that everyone here would die. He would tell us to leave, and would stay to finish this battle. That I know. And would you abandon him? This has been our quest, Jareth, and I intend to see it through to the end. Even if that end is our deaths."

"You're right..." Jareth sighed.

"Still, I'll not die if I can do anything about it. The instant that orb detonates I'm creating two portals. One under Link's feet, and one directly behind us. The blast will push us back before it engulfs us in it's destructive force, and Link will fall into the portal before anything can truly damage him." Alnahim said.

"I like your thinking." The ranger said with a grin.

The wizard did not respond, instead becoming more intent on watching the battle. He eyes the orb with his keen eyes, prepared to use his magic the second he needed to. If he were too late, all of them would be lost.

The orb moved back and forth rapidly, now ten feet in diameter. Each time it came close to one of the fighters they found the strength to push it back towards their opponent. Link was coated with sweat and thanked the Goddesses that he'd trained with Alnahim on his mana. Had he not, this battle would have been lost long ago. He shoved the blast back one final time, and saw it surge rapidly outward and explode, energy rushing to greet Link. Confusion attacked his mind.

"_What happened? Is this how I am to die?_"

Then he fell.

)))))(((((

Erik Donaldson, a low ranking grunt in Ganondorf's army was the first to see it. He had just severed the arm and neck of the enemy and had looked to the sky. An explosion had rung out over the city, just minutes after the lion's roar had broken out. A large sphere of black and white surged out from the top floor of the castle spire growing constantly. By the time it stopped it had completely severed the roof of the citadel like building and caused it to crash down upon itself. The heavy stonework caused the floor to crumbled and break, and drop to the next floor, creating a sort of vertical domino effect. Soon the whole of both of the armies looked up and watched the spire collapse upon itself. The force of the heavy tower hitting the ground floor of the castle seemingly caused the foundation to shatter, making the whole of the castle crush itself.

Seconds later a tidal gale of brown and gray dust whoomfed out from where the castle had stood. It hit the lines of the soldiers, getting into their eyes and clogging their noses. It took nearly a minute for some of the spellcasters to get the idea of using wind magic to clear the dust. By the time they did, most everyone was wheezing out rustic colored puffs of air and wiping furiously at their eyes.

Then two portal opened and from one exited two men, a man dressed in brown and green who looked like he belonged more in a forest than a city, and one who wore a black cloak around his body. From the other fell a green clad teen, who hit the ground and fell gracefully to one knee. He rose and looked at the spire, saw the destruction caused, and looked to his companions with an expression of pure joy.

"He's dead! Destroyed!" Link cried out.

And for the first time in a long time, happiness ruled in the young man's heart.


	62. Finale: Part Two

Ganondorf's forces fought hard, but were eventually beaten for the most part. Link ordered several wide eyed groups of soldiers to search places for hiding enemies, and had to demand they hurry, as they were too awestruck by his presence. All ready stories were being passed around about the lad who had single handedly defeated Ganondorf, the long feared king of thieves. No one aside from three had the specifics of course, but mankind is always capable of making up their own stories. Link drew his sword and looked at it's shining blade. It gleamed orange, yellow, and red in the light of the setting sun. He took a moment to appreciate how much the sword had been through. First it had slayed one incarnation of Ganon under his father's hand. Then it had been his uncle's treasure. Followed by Link's weapon. Once again, it got into the hands of his father. In that time it had gone through two transformations. Once into the umbra blade, and then into the Denique lux lucis. Now it was his inheritance, and had been his tool to defeat Ganondorf. Link smiled faintly in remembrance of father, knowing he'd made him proud on this day. After all, he'd carried on his legacy and defeated the lord of shadows.

He was racked from his reverie by a musical shouting of his name. He half turned and saw Zelda running towards him and the thoughts of the sword left him like ice in boiling water. She jumped into his waiting arms, and wrapped her own around his chest. She squeezed him tight, as he did her, happy to simply be within each other's embrace. The world faded out for Link, grew gray and dull, leaving only her and he. He short wavy auburn hair looked greasy from the sweat of the day's work. Her face was streaked with the grime and dust of battle. Her clothing was torn and nicked with cuts from numerous close calls with blades. She was the most beautiful woman he'd ever known.

She drew back and kissed him deeply and passionately, their lips working themselves. Her lips were like clouds in that they were soft and full. He could feel her straight teeth through the expanse of her lips, and relaxed slightly, but she came in closer. He finally gave in and pulled her as close as possible and kissed her as strongly as he could. The kiss ended and they looked almost dreamily into each other's eyes with the look that only those in love can produce.

Neither of them noticed the ring of people staring at them. They didn't even notice when the people began to clap and cheer for them. They did, however, notice, when a scream of horror ran through the crowd.

They separated and looked towards the screamer, who was, in turn, looking at the fractured rubble of the castle. Link looked at it tensely and saw no movement. He walked towards it and the crowd was silent. The mountain of rubble rose high into the air, just a huge mound of broken gray bricks. One brick vibrated in it's place and fell down the mound. More bricks began to fall and slide until a humanoid figure burst from the top of the ruins, sending bricks flying in all directions. He was hovering in the fetal position and breathing as if he'd been holding his breath for ten minutes.

"BOY!" The figure roared, straightening himself up. A soldier screamed at the sight of Ganondorf. The majority of his remaining clothes were torn to shreds, and he'd lost all of his weapons. Crimson blood flowed down his body like rivers. His eyes glowed a dark red, and his hair fluttered angrily in the wind. "BOY!"

Link stepped forward.

"Yes?" He asked simply. Though Link had hoped Ganondorf was dead, somewhere deep inside he knew it had been to easy. A final confrontation was coming, and Link accepted it gladly.

"You damned little brat!" Ganondorf spat. "You think you know of power? You think you know true strength, do you? Oh, how I will prove you wrong! I've let you get by so far, and it appeared to be my downfall. NO MORE! Heed this warning, child; TODAY I RULE!"

Both of his hands reached for the sky and a large golden triangle formed in the air above his hands. The triangle descended, glowing eerily, entering the king of thieves body. The sky darkened to as though it were night time, yet without the light of the stars or moon. The temperature instantly dropped ten degrees. Blue lightning began to crackle around Ganondorf. He re assumed the fetal position, and soon began to change.

At first it didn't seem like much. Small horns popped from his temples and his limbs became longer. But the transformation continued. His feet molded themselves into large and powerful ebony hooves. A thick black shell rose over his boar like legs, evidently protecting them from sharp objects. A belt of skulls appeared from thin air, and looped around the creatures waist. His chest expanded and also grew a thick shell, though this one was ribbed, with the ribbing being of a bloody red color. His arms dangled down into wickedly clawed fists that looked capable of rending trees with ease. A head sprouted form the massive shoulders. Curled horns, like that of a ram, spiraled before spearing out into the air with razor points. Fangs jutted out from the creature's mouth, and angry red eyes glared down at the crowd of soldiers. This would have been intimating, even in the full light of midday, but now that the night ruled with hardly any sources of light, it was terrifying.

Angry growls and snarls burst from the beast's mouth, hinting that it was incapable of human speech. It took a step towards Link, who stood unflinching in it's way. Several of the soldiers gave up on their honor, turned, and silently ran for their pitiful lives. The majority stayed despite their terror. Or maybe they stayed because of their terror. Zelda stepped forward and stood by Link's side. She was followed quickly by Alnahim who gazed up at the terrible creature with nothing but contempt. Jareth stepped forward soon after. The rest of the crowd moved forward, prepared to fight this terrible creature. Link turned to them, and rose his hand.

"You all stay back. This is my battle. He and I have been locked in this for a long time, and I think We end it today. I do not wish to see your blood shed over our feud." He said to the crowd.

More of the crowd, content in that they tried, left then, but still some stayed, though they did not move. Zelda, Alnahim, and Jareth never considered leaving, instead moving closer to Link.

"No way, champ." Jareth said grinning. "I've come this far, and I'm not ditchin' now. I'm fighting with you."

"As am I. I've waited for this for many years." Alnahim said determinedly. He looked more prepared for battle than Link had ever seen him. Fire raged in his normally cool eyes, making him look more alive in a way. More human.

"I'll not leave you if I can help..." Zelda said.

Link turned to her and grasped her hands, keeping himself still wary of Ganon, who hadn't moved for some reason.

"Zelda...you can't fight with us. I can't lose you. We have spent a lot of time becoming great fighters. You've been here. We'd just have to keep you safe. And if anything happened to you...I'd lose all resolve. You need to stay alive, or I am only half of who I am." He said.

She looked at him with a painfully thoughtful expression and gave him a brief kiss.

"Be careful." She said.

"I'm going into battle against a sixty foot tall pig monster with nothing but a sword and a base knowledge of magic." Link laughed with a wink.

The laugh and joke was paradoxically enough to ease some of her worry, and she stepped away after peppering his face with kisses. As she rejoined the rest of the soldiers a line of flames erupted from nowhere, separating her from Link, Alnahim, and Jareth. The fire spread in an elliptical fashion, carving an oval of flame around the three heroes and Ganon. Link looked back it, but found he wasn't particularly surprised. This seemed queerly right, in a way.

"Anyone know any way to deal with uh...well, ya know?" Jareth asked.

"Alnahim, any weaknesses of his you know of?" Link questioned while staring up at the great beast.

"I can't say I do." The wizard said, removing his cloak. "Guess we'll figure it out as we go."

Ganon's state of being unmoved was broken as he began to slowly lurch forward towards the trio. The fire threw all amounts of strange shadows in their arena, and the night sky was only illuminated by the occasional crack of thunder. The group split up with Jareth running left, Alnahim soaring right, and Link going straight forward, with thoughts of his father's victory over Ganon in is head. One incredibly sized scimitar came down and cut a huge swath in the ground behind Link. The gash must have run no less than five feet deep from the amount of dust that tormented up from the cut. The wind from the slash came forward, shaking Link's clothes lightly. He noticed that Alnahim was shooting lightning bolts at his demonoid father, but to no avail. On his left, Jareth was frantically firing off arrows at the beast, which stuck into the beasts thick hide with no evident amount of pain.

Link neared the towering mass of Ganon's leg and leaped up, gripping one of the ridges of the sleek black leg armor. He hauled himself up higher and higher like a gymnast, until he was at the beast's knees. By this time, Alnahim had soared within Ganon's range, and was dodging the mad swings while attacking with differing rays of magic. Each blast hit the massive demon, but it didn't even seem to notice.

"_It's invincible..._" Link thought suddenly, then clamped the thought dead. He had come too far and lost too much to accept that it was all hopeless now. He altered the hold of his sword to make stabbing easier, and drove it towards the demon's leg. The holy blade came down with all of Link's weight and strength behind it and clinked off uselessly. Link stared at it in disbelief. This hallowed sword was to be his driving force in the battle. It had never failed Link or his father...yet now it had.

Link was hit with the side of one of Ganon's blade and the right side of his body screamed in pain. He sailed through the air and hit the ground painfully, and the left side joined the chorus. He stood up shakily, hardly dodging another slow swing of Ganon's scimitar, and pointed the sword at the titan. He drew upon the energy of the sword and shot a white beam out, which struck just under Ganon's snout. The beam hit the demon and dispersed into a thousand white dust particles.

"_The sword truly can do nothing..._" Link thought while sheathing the blade. "_What can I do?_"

"Link! Stop standing around and get to fighting!" Jareth shouted at him. Link watched the man he'd come to love as a brother jump up and land on the flat blade of one of Ganon's scimitars. He held on, his eyes wide with surprise, as the sword lifted up high into the air.

"_If he falls...He'll die._" Link thought worriedly. He began to run towards the monstrous boar again. The sword reached it's apex and Link saw a small green dot fall from the blade and let out a terrible scream. Seconds later he realized Jareth had not fallen, but had instead jumped from the blade, landing on Ganon's shoulder. Now the ranger was performing a treacherous trapeze walk across the shoulder towards Ganon's head, somehow unnoticed.

"_Crazy bastard!_" Link thought as he neared the large hooves again, wondering about what he could possibly do. Nothing came to mind. He hit the powerful legs with every kind of magic within his arsenal and still nothing happened. Ganon moved one leg forward, kicking Link several yards away. Realizing his current inability to help, he focused on avoiding being killed and watching Jareth.

)))))(((((

Jareth stumbled along Ganon's shoulder, the wind trying to be the agent of his death. It gripped and pulled his legs and torso with almost painful zeal, driving tiny spears of ice into his exposed skin. He slung his bow over his back in a motion mastered through years of experience. He continued his walk, each booted foot going right in front of the other along the thick bones that made up Ganon's shoulder. In one particular horrifying instant, the beast shook crazily and almost flung Jareth from his shoulder. The ranger had hit the ground and grabbed a hold of the demon's skin, but had felt the rest of his body rise up into the air, as it would on a rearing horse. He had risen and walked in a low crouch from that point, looking like quite the thief.

Now, as he neared the head of the king of shadows, he pulled his own sword free of it's leather prison, planning to impale it through the monster's eye. While it may not be a killing blow to such a creature it would certainly help Link and Alnahim defeat him. He only prayed that he'd be able to hold onto the beast while it went through the inevitable throes of agony. With one of it's eyes gone it'd be half blind and impaired. Perhaps that edge would give his allies the advantage necessary to beat their opponent.

He reached the end of the shoulder and readied himself for the jump towards the massive eye. It was odd. The eyes itself was black as the eye of a shark, with a red slit resembling a fang as it's iris. These eyes, while not enchanted like those of a twull, had an uncanny effect on the ranger. He suddenly felt terror claw at his heart and up his windpipe. It tried to break free from his lips in a scream of madness and he felt his sanity begin to slip away, truly slip away. It felt as though some solid mass in his head had turned to sand and was now funneling out. Yet his eyes did not want to avert themselves.

It was only through a spectacular show of will that he wrenched his head away, sending a number of pops and cracks along his neck, he did it with such force. He took a moment to calm himself and remembered how Link had looked just before Jareth had attempted this crazy stunt. Hopeless and obviously filled with despair. His face had looked completely down turned. The ranger didn't know what had happened, but something had made the lad not believe victory was possible. Going insane and dying wouldn't disprove that. He had to act.

He turned to the eye and crouched low, preparing himself for the jump of a lifetime. If he were to miss, he'd fall the sixty feet to his death. He let the muscles in legs uncoil like a spring and he hurled himself through the air, hitting the ridge of Ganon's upper eye with his chest and sliding down, an icy hand squeezing his heart. He luckily grasped a hold of the ridge with his left hand and pulled back his right had, blade within, to gore the beast. He brought the sword forward full force and it slid into the eye cleanly. Ganon's head instantly rose, emitted a high pitched squeal of pain, and nearly flung the ranger from his place on the ridge of the eye. The head snapped back down and the force of it caused Jareth's sword to stab back into the eye, which now oozed a repulsive white pus. A foul stench filled the air, pulling at the ranger's nostrils. Another painfully loud squeal erupted from the evil one's snout, and another rabid thrashing of the head. Jareth continued to hold on with all he could, but he only had one hand clinging to the ridge of the eye. His hand tried to sheathe his sword, it's work done, but with the wild shaking, could not get it in. His first attempt looked clean until an unpredicted shaking threw Jareth's body up into the air, nearly stabbing himself on his own blade.

The second attempt was good, and the blade clicked cleanly into place. The ranger brought his other hand up closer to the ridge and grasped it. Now he had two supports in place, but he still had not easy work staying alive on the demon's head. It brought it's head up and down and in all directions in it's attempt to fling the ranger off and to his doom. Even worse, the attempts all seemed of equal power meaning the titan wasn't growing tired. Jareth did not know how long the beast could go on, nor did he know how long he could hold on. As the thought went through his mind, he felt his left hand begin to slip, and scrambled unsuccessfully to place it back. His hand slid down and slapped against the partially solid gel that now Ganon's left eye. Another frantic wave of the demon's head and Jareth felt his right hand begin to slip as well. He watched with disappointment as the fingers slid down slowly, one by one losing their grip. Before the last the finger could go, Ganon thrust his head back up to the skies, forcing the ranger up into the air twenty feet in an arc.

Jareth closed his eyes and readied himself for death.


	63. Finale: Part Three

Jareth saw the silver glint of his arrowhead as his weaponry began to slide from it's quiver in his free fall. Thinking he had perhaps one final chance to do some damage he plucked it from the air and nocked it in his bow, all while the violent winds battered his lengthy hair upward. He drew back the string and let the arrow go, which flew true and struck Ganon in the mushy remnants of his eye. The titanous demon dropped one of his wicked bone yellow scimitars which hit the ground sending up a tidal mass of dust. The now free hand came up to the useless eye and another howl broke into the air. This one was less of agony and more of rage. Jareth allowed himself to smile brightly and then performed an action that generally wouldn't be considered wise; he looked down. When he looked down he expected to see the speckled ruins of the former castle rushing up to greet his back, no doubt to rupture his body and send it to shreds.

Instead he saw the speckled ruins of the former castle had been quite content to keep their distance, and came no closer than they already were. An opaque green whirling vortex had taken residence just below his back and appeared to be pushing him up. He looked around , momentarily anxious that Ganon had performed this magic in order to take revenge for his eye. A second later he was rapidly soaring through the air, his wrist ensnared in the iron grip of a determined wizard. Alnahim had somehow conjured another beast from nothing, though this one seemed to be far more avian. It was roughly ten feet long with at least four of those being in the creature's long neck that ended in a head with a razor tipped beak. Alnahim was mounted at the base of the neck, just at the point where the thicker body began to swell outward in the shape of a heart, and just in front of the first set of long wings. These wings extended out six feet in either direction. Two feet back was another pair of smaller wings, these only four feet. The entire thing looked as though it were made of swirling shadows, as if Alnahim had captured smoke in a bird shaped glass.

The hand that was holding onto Jareth's wrist came up and a blue jolt of energy crackled into existance. Alnahim through it as one may throw a javelin and the bolt sailed through the air, hitting the half-blind Ganon in the snout. As the dark king roared in protest Alnahim banked right, narrowly dodging the demon's instinctive fireball attack. This caused them to go closer to the ground, and Alnahim soared down close to Link and dismounted his dark bird quickly. Jareth hit the ground before the wizard, but not uncomfortably. Link ran to them, panting and dripping with sweat from the extranious exercise of dodging the magics and blades.

"Jareth! That was amazing!" He exclaimed.

"Don't celebrate yet. I'm sure the worst still lies ahead." Alnahim said morbidly. He looked up at his infamous father and scowled. The wizard's gaze then dropped to the back of his hand. He then turned to Jareth thoughtfully and said, "If I need not die, I should surely not attempt to, correct?"

The ranger nodded fiercely.

Link stepped towards Alnahim and spoke.

"I have a plan." he began, "I need you to use wind magic to shoot me up to Ganon's eye level. I'll use the lucis blade to take out his other eye."

"Are you sure?" Alnahim said, a faint spell of worry hinting it's own existence within those words.

"Yes."

A green vortex, not unlike the one which had saved jareth not five minutes earlier, began to swirl around Link's legs, creating a small tornado that picked up the gray slate dust and threw it out into the air. Alnahim made a dramatically large motion with his right up as though he were throwing up a heavy ball and Link went hurdling through the air with the wind blowing back his cheeks into a grin. Ganon saw him coming and tried to hit the hero with a horribly timed placement of the blade and was too slow to hit the rapidly encroaching Link. As Link drew closer to the demon he pulled his blade from his sheathe, praying it would work this time. The blade twinkled with a comforting light, like it was happy to be in Link's hand, doing this work.

"This is for my father!" Link cried, slamming the blade into the soft flesh of the eye with all of his weight plus over forty mile per hour speed. A hissing sound filled the air, and Link realized it was the flesh of Ganon's eye searing. The high speed was nearly enough to drive him forward, bashing his solar plexus upon the blade hilt. However, he flipped upward at the last second, carried on his momentum, pulling the blade out, and running up the almost wholly vertical front of Ganon's face. He ran in between the two massive ebony horns and kept going, jumping off the back of the demon's head in a swan dive. He saw the greenish air twirling speedily down below, but that didn't stop his heart from hammering within his chest like a woodpecker. He hit the cloud like substance and was carried safely to the ground where he hopped off.

Ganon roared, and six ethereal fireballs burst into life around him. He raised his swordless arm and threw it down like a soldier commanding his men to open fire. The balls sped towards the three warriors, who promptly threw themselves out of the way. Link recognized these as having the same sort of powers as the spell that Ganondorf had used on him in the tower just hours before. Thus, he knew that avoiding these things were top priority. The first wave hit the ground, sending out a sound that grated upon the ears with a rapt hatred. The sound was enough to make Link wince as he hit the ground and rolled across it. He came up and continued running, trying to think of any weakness that he could extort. Any attack he could do.

The second waves of fireballs hit the ground, sending out an encore of the initial painful noise. It was like a trillion birds chirping all at once. Link's hands came up to his ears without his consent and he forced them away. Ganon chuckled deeply, which was a sound somehow more disconcerting than the chirping of the energy. More balls of energy came into life and began chasing the three fighters.

"_What can I do!?_" Link thought angrily. He'd taken the beast's eyes. Everything else was heavily protected. He heard a swooping sound from above and the gust of wind hitting his clothes and looked up. Alnahim had apparently remounted his flying creature and was hurling bolts of lightning at Ganon. He then leaped off, hitting the ground into a crouch, right into the path of an oncoming energy current.

"ALNAHIM! GET OUT OF THE WAY!" He screamed. The wizard looked at him with full comprehension and stood up, facing the blast. He raised one hand towards it, and Ganon's chuckle deepened. Link began to run towards the foolhardy wizard, to throw him out of the way, to save him in any way possible. He didn't quite realize it then, but he was planning to shove Alnahim out of the way and take the blast himself. It didn't matter; he was too slow. He was still over five feet away when the great orb of blue fire collided with Alnahim's hand. Four feet away when his arm bent back with the strain of it. Three feet away when the wizard appeared to struggle with all his might to push back the powerful sphere. And Link was two feet away when Alnahim pushed back the ball of energy, sending it catapulting back towards Ganon. The giant, who shouldn't have been able to tell the ball was approaching, grunted in surprise. It even appeared to flinch when the ball grew to a twenty foot diameter. The energy ball slammed into Ganon's chest, sending it toppling to the ground. A huge swaft of dust and stone powder poofed up from the heavy one's fall. But what more concerned Link, aside from the sudden strength Alnahim displayed, was the rainbow draconic tail that was exposed as Ganon fell. It flicked this way and that and looked to be protected by a less powerful layer of scales than the rest of the body's hard plate. He sprinted at it, and realized he was flying through the air by Alnahim's aid. He hit the ground and drove the lucis' blade through the tip of the barbed tail. Ganon jerked upright, rending his own tail along the swords sharp edge. He unleashed a gust of wind magic that pushed Link back away. Just before he hit the fire surrounding the arena they were in, Jareth gripped his hand tightly, saving his life.

Link scanned the area and saw Alnahim walking towards Ganon, his jet black hair whipping back, and the excess fabric of his pants slapping backwards with a 'WHUP WHUP WHUP' noise. He raised a hand and began to speak.

"Greetings demon! True one demon! In your honest form you are as a ugly as I'd believed you to be! I am sure you think yourself unstoppable! But that is falsity. You are just as defeatable as every one who has come before you! And would you care to know why? Do you want to know the instrument of your destruction!?"

"_What is he doing?_" Link thought. "_There's no way he can take him out on his own...is he trying to buy time?_"

"This!" Alnahim roared, proudly displaying the back of his hand. Ganon's ruptured eyes widened as he saw it. The wizard laughed, "yes! You see it now! Link! When you first met me, I told you I possessed the dark triforce of power, did I not?"

"Yes, but that isn't enough to stop him! He has two of the pieces of the triforce of light!" Link screamed to his friend.

"Of course it wouldn't be enough to stop him. Not just one..." Alnahim began.

"_Could he...could he have truly?_" Link thought, his eyes widening.

"There's no way..." Jareth mumbled, trailing off.

"But I have...ALL THREE!" He boomed as lightning clapped and it began to rain slightly.

The three pieces of the dark triforce glowed triumphantly purple, and came out of Alnahim's hand, displaying the completed triforce. They were all there. Power, Wisdom, and Courage. But...who had been courage?

"It all began when you dumped me in the dark world, _Father_!" Alnahim said, snidely enunciating the final word. "The world recognized my power, and I was given that piece of the triforce. But I wasn't willing to stop there. I wasn't willing to hold myself back and let mediocrity reign. I would gain the power to defeat you. So along comes Link! And what do you know? His father is an evil bastard too, but more important, he has the dark triforce of courage."

"Wha...what?" Link muttered. "But that's impossible! The Dark pieces of the triforce can only be obtained by a resident of dark world!"

"Your father was taken by shadows! He was possessed by a shade, a resident of _Dark World_! When we excised the shadows from his body, he could no longer hold the piece of the triforce and it fell to the next most worthy person. And that was me. I worried for a short amount of time that it would appear on Jareth, but in the end, it chose me. And finally, I defeated Nem in single mage combat within his own element, demonstrating that I possessed superior knowledge of the works of magic than he. The dark triforce of Wisdom thus came. But what else could I do? Even with my near endless supply of mana, would I be able to defeat you? Would I grow weary too soon? It's a good thing you solved that problem.

The wizard raised a hand and snapped his fingers. Some twenty yards away there was a shuffling sound and the sound of falling pebbles. By this time the wind had died down and Link was standing normally. A rainbow colored claw broke free of the rubble and moved around, digging it's way out of the mess. Soon the hole was big enough and the creature crawled out, revealing itself to be the creature that Alnahim had set upon Adodomos. It dragged along the still screaming man by his face towards it's master.

"You did always have an obsession with protecting yourself with men weaker than yourself. Of all the warriors you tossed at us, only Raysu was capable of killing any of us, and that was only because he's immortal. But this man was certainly helpful. I could smell the energy on him. You gave him infinite energy. By sapping his energy I sealed your fate. Now my mana is truly limitless."

Alnahim floated into the air, purple flame eating away the expanse of his shirt. His hair floated upwards weightlessly and he smiled coldly at his demonic father.

"Link, we have come very far for this moment. Now I rid the world of his malignant being. However, my light magic has always been my weakest point. I'd ask you put forth some of your own."

Realizing what Alnahim was trying to do, Link agreed and gathered his energy, feeling it warm the palms of his hand.

Ganon lurched towards them, trying to cut them down with a slash of his sword, but was unable to finish the attack before a massive ray of energy speared out from Alnahim's hand and struck him in his torso. Link immediately let loose his own energy, and felt the mana seeping from him like a bucket with a very large hole in the bottom. He could not carry on for much longer. Time seemed to slow down and the seconds passed in minutes.

Alnahim's great beam of energy acted as a magnet, attracting Link's own ray and all the remaining fireballs that Ganon had conjured. A second passed and Ganondorf took a step into the ray. Another passed and he was pushed back several, his hooved feet rapidly moving so as to not fall. He tried to cut down the energy with his sword, but the scimitar was ripped apart. Grunts and squeals poured out from the titan's snout as it tried to combat the energy. Yet, for all it's force, it was unable to. The blast engulfed the monster surrounding Ganon in a spiraling ray of beautiful light. It roared with it's agony, it's frustration and rage, but soon these fell away as the light seared away his flesh. And as Link felt his energy growing low, and Ganon push back, he felt his energy restore and saw that Jareth was funneling him his energy.

A full minute passed as this and, to Link, it seemed like a year. When at last they stopped, there was only a tower of ash where Ganon had once stood. The king of evil was alive no more.

Alnahim fell to the ground with his head bowed. He was kneeling, with one arm slung over his front knee. He stood up and let out a loud cry. This cry boomed over the town and across the outlying river. It was a shout of endless years of torment and unyielding pain. But there was something deeper. There was the joy. The joy of having seen it through and having had won.

Link walked to him and placed an arm on his shoulder. Alnahim looked at him, an honest grin on his face, his purple eyes shining with happiness. Then Link hugged him. Alnahim's body became rigid with shock, before he awkwardly returned the embrace. He ended the hug, stepping away from Link's grasping arms, still with a smile on his face.

"This day we've conquered. We've won. We've avenged!" He shouted.

The flames surrounding the arena died and the remaining crowd rushed towards them chanting their names. Hoisted upon their shoulders, the three fighters were carried to whatever place could be found for a celebration.


	64. The End

Link's heart thrummed in his chest like a drum and he felt sincerely nervous. Over a month had passed since the fall of Ganon, and the events immediately afterward were sort of a blur. Both Alnahim and Jareth had agreed to stay in this world, which pleased Link immensely, despite his knowledge they would likely spend much of their time away, exploring this new world. Reconstruction of the great castle had been started almost instantly after the great demon had been defeated. Now a ground floor and a temporary wing for the nobles had been constructed. And though the building had not yet been completed, most onlookers had to admit that this structure was greater than the previous model.

The former castle, while not bad, had lacked some of the aesthetic quality of this recreation. In contrast to the dark slate that had made up the initial imagining, a lighter stone had been selected that was a beautiful gray white. When the sun shone upon this rock it almost glowed with the light. In addition, this new imagining was circular, and lined with a dozen stained glass windows that told a complete, albeit summarized, account of the story that had been created by Link and Zelda. This was to be a wing of remembrance and study, but today it's purpose was completely different. The windows were arranged around the room like the numbers on a clock, with the story beginning at the twelve o' clock section. All the windows were filled with their various images, minus the one that belonged in the eleven o' clock section. It had been left empty, and a faint breeze trickled in through it.

Jareth was next to him, dressed in fine clothing that was quite the contrast to his typical leathers. His long hair had been tied back in a neat ponytail. Alnahim was on his left and had opted to remain in his usual cloak, while the rest of the members of the room were dressed in their best clothing. And there was a sizable number of them. The masses of people thronged within the circular confines, making low happy murmurs. The people were arranged in such a way that there was a broad avenue where one could walk down and exit the cathedral like structure.

Link looked to the ranger, unknowing and anxiety written clearly across his face. Jareth smiled and clapped him on the shoulder.

"Stop worrying! This is to be one of the greatest days of your life. Enjoy it!" He said heartily. "Look, here she comes now."

Just then all the talking in the crowd ceased with a hush. Link looked towards the open doorway down the aisle and saw a sillouhette step out and stand still for a moment. His eyes adjusted quickly and soon he was able to make out the lovely form of princess Zelda, garbed in wedding whites.

He had proposed to her just three short weeks ago, but in that time so much had happened. Each day was spent together until it grew deep into the night and they came to know each other far deeper than he'd ever anticipated. The stars would twinkle overhead, casting a mirror image in the pristine waters of the pool that flowed in the remains of the royal garden. The two had talked multiple times until the water had transformed itself into a warm myriad of oranges and yellows with the rising sun. At this point they would exchange sheepish goodbyes and reluctantly part from the one they increasingly believed was the one.

On a particular day the sun had been out in all of it's glory, lighting the garden with a cheery atmosphere. Despite the sun's casting light the day was cool and calm. The wind rustled through the trees of the garden making a pleasant shuffling sound. Zelda was seated upon a seat with her legs crossed at the knee. Link lay in the soft grass, his head just to the left of her foot, staring up at the blue sky. Zelda slid off the stump and lay next to him, throwing an arm over his chest.

"What's in that head of yours?" She asked. He had looked at her with evident mental frustration.

"Nothing." He claimed.

"No, I saw that look. That isn't a look of nothing." She said with a wink.

"It's just..." He began, suddenly feeling very awkward. "well, I'm in love with you."

"Of course." Zelda said, squeezing the firm muscle of his chest. "and I'm in love with you."

"Guess I gotta do it now..." Link whispered, more to himself than to her. He stood up and an expression of concern settled over her fair features. She followed his example and asked him what troubled him. He turned around and smade her sit back down on the stump, and fell to a knee before her. He reached into the pocket of his trousers and produced a small box. Zelda finally realized what had been on Link's mind and a hand came to her mouth even as tears came to her eyes. She felt sure he could here her heartbeat, as it's pace quickened to thrice it's usual tempo.

"Zelda...from the moment I first saw you I knew you were incredibly beautiful While perhaps a shallow starting point, my feelings all began there. From there I have come so far, with thoughts of you on my mind all the time. My soul cries out for yours. You are strong and trustworthy and your exterior beauty is outweighed only by the gorgeous spirit you have. Look at how much you've overcome. If I could hear but one thing for the rest of my life it would be you saying, 'I love you'. If I could see but one thing, it would be your eyes staring back into mine. I don't want to live this lfife without you. So...my question is this: will you marry me?"

He opened the clam shell case, revealing a silver ring set with a breathtaking spherical stone. It did not appear to be any single stone,rather comprised of many different ones. The overwhelming majority of the stone shone like diamond, but within the crystal was a sapphire the same color as Link's sky colored eyes. Multiple strands of a ruby red material swirled out from this inner gem. Seeing her eyeing it for several seconds with no answer Link began to talk.

"I-I made it from my energy. So that you'd always, you know, have a part of me." He mumbled. The tears that Zelda had been trying to hold back now spilled over her lids and she lunged forward, throwing her arms around Link's neck.

"Of course! Of course I'll marry you!"

And so they were engaged. The news had spread quickly among the people and was met with universal congratulations. The princess and her hero. It was a fitting romance. Now, weeks later she was marching proudly up the aisle wearing a long white dress. She stepped up the to the platform that was occupied by Link and Orion, who was performing the wedding. She looked into his eyes and the love he saw there was enough to make his head light and his knees weak. A warm emotion spread through his body from his stomach. He clasped her hands in his and offered a smile which she returned in an instant.

And so they were wed. The ceremony only lasted an hour, but many festivities had been planned by the men and woman that had comprised the invading force. Now the night had come and was lit with the light of one hundred bonfires. Link had broken away from the throngs of people awaiting hugs and handshakes and stood some distance away from the rest of the party. It went on without him and that was all right. His thoughts were sad now and he wanted some time alone.

"_Dad...I wish you could have been here..._" He thought. "_You too, Ekron. You two were really important to me and deserved to be here._"

"It's overwhelming, isn't in." Alnahim said as he walked up from behind Link.

"Yeah. I'm not used to being around so many people." Link answered with a nervous laugh.

"That's not exactly what I meant." The wizard said with a half smile. "I mean about what you were thinking about."

Link stiffened up and blushed.

"You can read minds?"

"No. I can just read people." Alnahim sighed. "And about your father. He may not be here physically, but that's not true of his spiritual self.

"Yeah...that could be true." Link replied.

Jareth came stumbling out from the crowd and wrapped an arm around Link's shoulder.

"What's with the sad face? This is to be the greatest day of your life! All these people are here because of you and your lady love. Go find her and enjoy yourself!" The ranger said happily. Jareth's mood was queerly infectious, and Link followed his advice. He fought his way through the crowd until he saw his wife in conversation with a small group of females. As he approached, the women looked over and saw him and walked away. Link came to Zelda and offered her his hand in a flourish.

"May I have this dance, lady?" He asked.

"Indeed you may." She answered with a smile, putting her hand in his. He pulled her close and danced with her in a slow pendulum swaying. The band of musicians were playing a slow song that they rocked in time with, staring simply yet deeply into each other's eyes. As the song closed, Link pulled the newest queen of Hyrule in and placed a kiss upon her lips. She returned the kiss happily. It was in this moment that the great hero who saved Hyrule and restored order to dark world knew that the rest of his life would be happy, with a woman he loved beyond measure. It was in this moment that Link knew his journey had ended, and ended well.

He closed his eyes, letting the world become black, just for a second, and truly appreciated everything he had come across.

The end.

* * *

A/N  
Well, there you have it everyone. The story has come to a close after such a long time. I'm truly surprised at how emotional I am about all of this. In these past few months Link, Jareth, Alnahim, and Dark have become rather real to me, and it's surreal to see me reach their journey's end. We lost some friends along the way(cry pardon, Ekron and Dark), but It's been a great quest for me. I thank every single one of you who have read this story and commented, contributed, favorited or did literally anything involving this story. 

I started this story back in 2010 and completely gave up on it for nearly two years before I picked it back up six months ago. Since then my writing skills have improved drastically(or so I'd like to think) and many things have occurred in my personal life. I thank you for your support and viewership. If it pleases you, feel free to comment with best parts or areas my writing simply must improve in.

The road ends, giving guidance to the next. 


End file.
